AN: I'm back! I've been playing Horizon Forbidden West nearly nonstop since it came out (Minus a detour into the fallout universe cause… well Fallout) and I absolutely love it! I just finished the main story literally last night and have so many opinions! Haven't started Burning Shores yet though. Check out the note at the bottom if you wanna see! I will try to avoid spoilers though.

Oh, one more thing. Since I'm time jumping, I'm going to start adding the year everything takes place at the beginning of the chapter for a bit, so you have an idea of when we are looking at. Let me know if you like that!

Please keep your comments and reviews coming! We passed 150 on Ao3 with the last chapter! I love them and they keep me motivated! Oh, and on FFN please let me know if you can see this! The notifications are down again.

A Digital Mother

Chapter 13

3030

Karst

The Seeker Captain couldn't help but marvel at the changes that'd sprung up in only six months. What had once been a mostly abandoned forest area south of the Devil's Grief ruins had been cleared and a new village had sprung up in its place.

Not a very large one, perhaps, but a Nora village. Well… not entirely a Nora village. The architecture was predominantly Nora but there were elements of… other tribes. One other to be specific. The Utaru.

Six months ago, when he'd first brought the collection of 11 rescued Utaru into the Sacred Lands, Karst had no idea what would unfold from there. At first, the plan had been to smuggle them through Banuk Lands to the north and then back into their own lands. Bypassing the Sundom entirely. Unfortunately, the Banuk shot that down.

The 'Red Raids' as they were being called had hit the Banuk hard. The Werak of Song's Edge hard and the rest of the Banuk just as badly. They didn't have the resources to escort anyone that couldn't fight through what had become a war zone. The rescued Banuk and Oseram were willing to make the journey since most of them could fight, but very few of the Utaru were fighters.

This, of course, had put them in a bit of a delicate situation. What did they do with the rescued Utaru? They couldn't just turn them loose in the contested Banuk lands and hope they'd fend for themselves. It'd taken a great deal of debate amongst the Matriarchs and High-Matriarchs. Nearly a month of arguments all while the Utaru sort of began settling into a camp outside Mother' s Crown. They weren't allowed to enter the village but many of the residents came out to greet them or provide aid. It wasn't until Sial, the defacto leader of the rescued Utaru did something that the Matriarchs agreed on a plan.

Though he tried to visit the rescued prisoners as often as he could, Karst hadn't been there when it happened. According to Desh, the Seeker who'd been present, the Utaru woman had stumbled across the meager farms of Mother's Crown during her first visit inside the walls. As the representative of the Utaru, she'd been invited to speak with the Matriarchs inside the meeting hall and encountered the farms during her tour. She'd been overjoyed to see attempts at farming and plant growth, leading to a rant of epic proportions. The depth and breadth of her knowledge of farming shocked the Matriarchs who heard her. Karst was initially surprised that they hadn't known the Utaru were an agricultural tribe before he remembered that only the Seekers who'd learned anything from Captain Rost would actually know much about other tribes save for the Carja and Banuk.

Sial's suggestions and willingness to share caused the more stubborn Matriarchs to change their tune and soon the Utaru were being welcomed with open arms. Still, it was agreed that they couldn't stay in Mother's Crown. The village itself was already dealing with an overcrowding issue and adding more people was a bad idea.

Nearly all the non-combatants from Mother's Vigil and Mother's Tears were crowded into the village. Some wanted to move them into the Embrace but the villages inside the gate were already full to bursting. So, it was decided that a new village would be built to the east. The area miles south of Devil's Grief was chosen and, with the guidance of the Utaru, a great many farms were being created once the forest was cleared.

The population was predominantly Nora who'd moved out of Mother's Crown to reduce the overcrowding issue, but the Utaru present were key players in the design and construction of the new village. Grata, the head of the Matriarchs in the new village wanted to include the Utaru representative in as much as possible since it was unclear when or if their Utaru guests could ever go home. Together, they'd formed a sort of hybrid government.

Grata was an interesting woman since she was a former outcast. When Captain Rost returned from his Seeking, she was the one who broke taboo and pulled him across the border into the Sacred Lands. Because she'd broken the law she was cast out, just like Rost. Once he was restored to the tribe, Rost petitioned that her banishment be rescinded. A request that was easily granted and just in time too since her last surviving child gave birth to her first grandchild not two months later. This, of course, made Grata a Matriarch.

From what Karst knew, she'd jumped at the chance to help build the new village once it was announced. Together, she and Sial had come up with a name for the new town that honored both Nora and Utaru traditions. Mother's Song. A rather fitting name if Karst said so himself. What resources could be spared by the war effort were funneled into the construction, so it was progressing rather well. Its population was also growing!

Around four months ago, three teams of Carja raiders managed to sneak their way into the Sacred Lands. One was captured and killed immediately, but unfortunately the other two got away with prisoners. As with before, Karst and his Seekers were deployed to rescue them with… mixed results.

The first group, comprised of roughly seventeen men, women, and children were split up before the Seekers could track them down. Only three were ever recovered. The rest had not yet been found. As for the second group, they were marginally more successful. Fassa took the lead on their rescue and managed to bring home all twenty-three of the captured Nora in one way or another.

Sadly, four of the prisoners were killed during the escape attempt. Plus, they'd lost a Seeker. Tharl, one of their bests, was cut down by a stray arrow during the fray. They were able to bring all of the bodies home, but it remained a sad day for all involved.

It also brought complications. With each successful rescue came more refugees entering the Sacred Lands. The Banuk and Oseram were, for the most part, easily sent north. The Werak of Song's Edge would house them briefly and send them on their way. Unfortunately, those few Oseram who were crippled, injured, or unable to fight were forced to remain in the Sacred Lands.

All told, a further nine Utaru were rescued and joined the first eleven at Mother's Song. With them were six Oseram. Three women who were non-combatants, two children, and one man who'd lost his dominant arm to a Carja torturer. They helped out around Mother's Song as best they could, allowing a little bit of Oseram ingenuity to bleed into the more traditional Nora and Utaru craftsmanship of the village.

"It's impressive how fast this has all sprung up." Karst commented as he moved through the village. It was his first time visiting since the initial construction began. He'd been too busy training the newest batch of Seekers back in the Embrace.

"Life will always find a way to sprout new growth." Sial replied with a smile, walking beside him.

She no longer looked like the timid, terrified woman he'd rescued. Leadership and hardship had toughened her spine. Her dark hair, once in a traditional Utaru style was now braided in a pretty blending of the Nora and Utaru styles. Her clothes, once the vibrant green leaf-like attire of the Utaru were now different. Still made in the Utaru style, but with a few distinctly Nora influences. Nearly all of the Utaru had adopted this mixed style and even a few Nora were incorporating Utaru styles into their hair and clothing. She was even learning to fight from a few of the retired Braves who made the new village their home. Suddenly, Karst was pulled to a stop. Turning, he could see that Sial had a grip on his elbow. There was an odd expression on her face.

"Is it true you're returning to the Sundom soon?" she asked, worriedly. Karst nodded.

"Yes, it is." He replied, softly. "I'll be going undercover along with three others. We're headed for the border this afternoon. Hopefully, we'll be able to discover the status of the war from the Carja perspective. Maybe even gain some valuable intel. I could be gone for anywhere from six months to a year or more."

"So, you don't know when you'll be back?" she whispered, tightening her grip on his elbow.

"No, I'm afraid not." He shook his head. "There's always the chance that I won't come back at all." Sial shut her eyes tight, before opening them again.

"In that case, I want to thank you." She spoke. "For saving me, and the other Utaru. We are all beyond grateful." Standing on the tips of her toes the young Utaru, only three years younger than Karst himself, planted a kiss on his cheek.

Karst stood there, stunned, and unable to process what in the All-Mother's name had just… He whirled to speak with her but Sial was already walking away, her hips swaying. She glanced back and gave him a beautiful smile before turning the corner and leaving his sight.

Sona

"Release the slings!" Sona shouted from behind cover on top of the wall. With a 'thwong' the three massive slings on the ground below let their bundles fly. Half a second later, there were three large explosions of chillwater accompanied by screams of pain and fright carried up to her from the forces at the bottom of the wall.

She and roughly 400 Nora Braves were garrisoning The Gate. A fortification that spanned the narrow southern passage between the Sundom and the Sacred Lands. Though, it was a bit of a misnomer to call it a 'gate' since there was no real door or passage to the other side.

Following the battle at Mother's Vigil, a great deal of work had been done to shore up the passage, including a complete restoration and reconstruction of the wall separating the two lands. Now it stood at an impressive height with wooden battlements constructed at the top and ladders behind leading down to the base. Metal plates looted from machines were affixed to the outer layer to provide protection against fire and trap doors above the narrow road would pour chillwater down on any attacking force. But there was no door. At least, not one that could be seen from the Carja side of the wall.

Part of the wall overlooked a large cliff face while the rest sat directly over the small road. This meant that no matter the size of an attacking force, there was simply no way for them to attack except for by this narrow passage. There was a section of wall designed to break away and allow a Nora force to charge through, but only if a few very specific lengths of machine cable were unhooked all at once.

Behind the wall stood the barracks and other such buildings that had been erected to service the garrison at the gate. Along with weapons, supplies, and of course, the three massive siege slings created to defend the wall. They were improved versions of the prototype built by Nanra that had worked so well during the defense of Mother's Vigil. The area behind the gate was honestly turning into another village, if not for the fact that it was only for soldiers. A few had jokingly taken to referring to the fortification as Mother's Shield and the name was catching on.

Now, one might remember that there was another way to pass between the Sundom and the Sacred Lands. A long valley to the north running between the Carja fortress Dawn's Sentinel and the Nora village of Mother's Tears. Since the Gate was so well fortified, it would make sense for the Carja to try and attack from there. Which was why Sona had ordered preparations to prevent such an eventuality.

There was no place in the northern valley where a second wall could be erected so they resorted to other measures. A cauldron lay at one end of the valley and was actually a bit of a danger to the village, but they'd come up with a solution. Cauldrons were large structures usually built into mountainsides that somehow created machines. Braves would herd the machines produced by the cauldron away from the village and into the valley.

By stocking the area with dangerous machines and heavily fortifying the village, they'd created quite the barrier against the Carja. Even if a force tried to get through, they would likely be attacked by vicious machines multiple times before ever reaching the village. And then, weakened by machine attacks, they'd be faced with an assault on the most heavily defended position in the entire Sacred Lands, save for the gate itself.

The real danger in the north was smaller raiding parties that might be able to slip past the machines. The Braves stationed in Mother's Tears were especially vigilant for those since the destruction of one of their caravans.

Sona stood and drew back her bow. Aiming quickly, she released the shaft and watched as it buried itself in the throat of a Carja soldier. The attacker went down with a muffle cry and was still. The attack had been going on for the better part of an hour with roughly 400 Carja storming up the trail to the wall. The well stocked and, thanks to the Seekers, well forewarned force of Nora had been ready and waiting for them.

There were so many bodies piled against the walls that it was becoming increasingly impossible for the Carja to get near the fortification without having to clamber over the bodies of their dead. Which, of course, only made them easier targets for the skilled Nora archers. Turning to one side, Sona gave a signal. One of her Braves stepped away and blew a low note on a horn. All around her, the Braves hunkered down and stopped firing at the attacking force.

"Carja!" She shouted over the walls. "Are you prepared to withdraw? The pass is so choked with the bodies of your dead it is all but impossible to reach us! If you continue to press the attack, we will have no choice but to continue raining fire down upon you!"

"Rot in shadow, savage!" One brave but foolish voice shouted before being silenced. Soon another, more authoritative voice replaced it.

"Nora warriors!" The voice called. "I am Lieutenant Maran! Second in command to Captain Zaid of Daytower. We will withdraw! I would request safe passage so that we might collect our dead and wounded!"

The angry part of Sona didn't want to grant that request. These monsters had attacked her people and then expected her to just let them walk up to the wall without challenge? It made her ill to even consider it. Though, the rational part of her knew she should agree. The dead bodies would begin to rot soon.

Though it was the beginning of winter, and the snow already lay thick upon the ground it wouldn't be long before the decomposing bodies started causing health risks among her Braves. Further, they could not collect or loot the bodies without revealing that there was in fact a gate in the wall. So, she was inclined to agree.

"You have one hour!" She shouted. "Collect your dead, but if any living Carja is still within bowshot after a single hour has passed, then we will let arrows fly once again!"

"Agreed!"

Moving away from her cover, Sona clambered down one of the ladders. Turning to her Braves, she ordered that they keep a close watch on the Carja at all times. Then she moved away towards her own barracks. As War-Chief and commander of the gate, she had private quarters. Thankfully uninjured, she collapsed on a chair, exhausted. Reaching up to the side of her head, she tapped her Focus.

"Sona?" High-Matriarch Teersa's voice came through. "Is the battle concluded?"

"Yes, High-Matriarch." she replied, wearily. "I have allowed the Carja an hour to collect their dead, but the battle is won. Thankfully there are few casualties on our side."

"Excellent. Well done." Teersa's pleased voice came through. "I shall relay your success to the other captains and High-Matriarchs." After giving the High-Matriarch her thanks, Sona ended the call and tapped the Focus again, this time calling her daughter.

"Mama?" Vala's worried voice came through.

"Hello, little one." Sona said, her voice soft.

"Are you okay? Was anybody hurt? Do you need help?" Vala all but shouted, the questions coming at her faster than a charging machine.

"I'm fine, little one." Sona cut her off. "The battle is over and almost none of our people were hurt. All is well."

"Oh… good." Sona's daughter let out a relieved sigh. "Ah! Varl!" Sona flinched at the volume of the scream. "Mama's calling!"

The War-Chief grinned. With the battle won, she could set down her spear for a little while and speak to her children. Be a mother instead of a warrior. A smile split her face as she heard her son's voice come through the Focus that had clearly been shoved onto his face by his enthusiastic sister.

Sona was grateful for many things that had occurred in her life but at that moment, the Focus was the thing she appreciated most because it allowed her to continue being a mother to her children. Despite being at war so far away from them.

Vala

Vala, daughter of Sona, paced back and forth at the base of a tall tree just outside Mother's Heart. The tree was part of a Brave Trail and the chosen site for a 'test' of sorts. She and Aloy, her best friend in the whole world were out there trying to test Aloy's new 'invention.' Ever since they'd discovered the focuses in the old ruin, Aloy was all but obsessed with the subject of engineering. Vala could even admit, it was interesting! Not… really her strong suit, but interesting! She knew enough at least to understand that Aloy's little contraption was very unlikely to work the way she wanted it to on the first try.

Clambering across the Brave Trail was Aloy, the redheaded nine-year-old engineer. Strapped to her back was a ridiculous device made of wood, animal pelts, and machine cable. Vala watched her friend clamber up on top of the platform, but she just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Aloy! I still think this is a bad idea!" She shouted up. "You haven't tested it at all! Even GAIA said not to test it from something this high!" The spirit voice was very insistent that testing at lower heights was a requirement! It'd been a huge battle just to convince her not to test it at a cliff face!

"I'm fine! Stop worrying!" Aloy shouted from the top.

"I am so far beyond worrying!" Vala called up, frustrated.

"In a good way?" The redhead called down. Vala growled, her frustration and fear getting the better of her.

"In a bad way! In a Very. Bad. Way!" She shouted up.

"Well, I'm still gonna jump! It'll work!"

"It's too dangerous!" The dark-skinned little girl stood there, gazing up and waiting for an answer. After a moment of confusion, Vala realized what was about to happen. "Oh, you insufferable little red…!" Her heart was in her throat!

Aloy had leapt from the top of the tree, her contraption held above her. It was comprised of a wooden frame covered in animal hide and lashed together with machine cables. Two handles dangled down from the top and holding onto these was Aloy! Vala nearly covered her eyes, not wanting to see her pseudo-sister plummet to her death but was forced to stare, dumfounded as the redheaded inventor started to glide slowly through the air.

"Woohoo!" Aloy cheered. Vala was nearly about to join her when the cheers became a scream of fear and alarm. "Woah! Oh, no! Aaaah!" The cable holding one of the handles snapped, causing Aloy to lose her grip. The broken handle dropped away fast. Unbalanced, Aloy's glider shifted. She hung in the air for a second longer before the girl and her device plummeted to the ground.

"Aloy!" Vala shouted in fear, rushing towards her friend. Aloy landed on the hard earth with a crunch and a cry of pain. Sliding into the dirt, Vala searched frantically for signs of life. Luckily, Aloy couldn't stay quiet for long. She groaned and rolled from her side onto her back. Her right ankle was already swelling from what Vala could see and her ribs were probably bruised, but she didn't know anything about how to help.

"Okay." Aloy groaned, one hand holding her side. "You were right. It was too high."

Later, after Aloy was patched up and received the scolding of her life from her father, GAIA, High-Matriarch Teersa, and even Vala's mother for good measure, the young dark-skinned girl sat alone in her hut deep in thought. Even when she'd been forced to all but carry her friend back to the village and all through her treatment, Aloy couldn't stop talking about how the glider had worked. If only for a moment. She was already thinking about improvements to the design.

Vala knew that this wouldn't be the last crazy contraption Aloy tried to build. Nor would it be the last time she got hurt testing those crazy contraptions! Not to mention all the times she'd get hurt during training or going machine hunting once they were older! Vala couldn't stop her even if she wanted to. Not that she did. Aloy was brilliant and her inventions were always so much fun! No, Vala didn't want to stop her. She just wanted to keep her pseudo-sister alive. Resolved, Vala tapped her Focus.

"GAIA?" she asked into the call. "What information does the learning module have on healing?"

Rost

Rost watched the… cartoon… with mild interest and a heavy dose of confusion. Aloy, his precious daughter, all but begged him to watch this Old-World entertainment program. It was… fanciful to say the least. Life among the stars, alien creatures, weapons made of light. Well, that wasn't so odd. After all, what was the Shellwalker shield but a construct made of light?

Aloy's personal favorite characters were the 'clones' named Rex and Cody along with the young alien apprentice girl. She wouldn't stop talking about them when he finally caved and agreed to watch it. The very concept of the clones bewildered him. If he understood correctly, a clone was a perfect physical copy of another person created through 'science' (whatever that was) and born from a machine, yet that copy had its own soul, memories, and personality. Sort of like having a child created by only one parent. That… sounded an awful lot like his baby girl. The thought made him uncomfortable.

The All-Mother created the girl from 'her mind and Elisabet's blood.' That was the description he'd been given. If Elisabet Sobeck, the All-Mother's chosen, was Aloy's only human parent, didn't that technically make his baby a clone? Rost wasn't sure. Aloy WAS growing to look eerily similar to the images of Elisabet Sobeck he'd seen with the Focus. He just didn't know enough nor understand enough about this topic to be sure if his interpretation was right. Besides, what did it matter? Aloy was the daughter of the All-Mother and his own child besides!

She was beautiful and sweet and intelligent and clone or not, he loved her with all his heart. She was HIS. He did not begrudge her desire to know of her birth mother for he had never tried to replace a mother. Rost was her father, regardless of blood, and he loved his little girl more than life itself. Even if she was a little bit crazy.

Her stunt with that 'glider' device caused her six bruised ribs and a badly sprained ankle. She nearly broke her leg, not to mention her neck! Needless to say, she'd been punished most severely for that. It was over a week before he gave her Focus back and nearly a month before she was allowed to use her tools and workbench. Even that was only after she promised not to do any more tests like that without safety precautions and adult supervision. Thankfully, he'd had Vala on his side for that part. Sona's daughter was just as determined as he was to keep his little hellion from hurting herself.

Once the program ended, Rost deactivated the Focus and stood. Pushing aside the flap of his tent, he stepped out into the cold winter air. He and eleven other Braves were set up at the very same campsite where previous joint hunts between the Nora and Banuk were held. Though, there were no Banuk with them this time.

No, they were there because the settlers in the newly named Mother's Song sent word with reports of a new, massive, and terrifying machine. With attacks on the gate rising and more Carja patrols trying to break in through the northern valley, Sona simply couldn't leave the front to deal with the reports. So, she called for Rost.

In turn, Rost put out a call to the best Braves stationed within the Embrace to join him. Most were from his own garrison at Mother's Heart but there were a few from the garrisons of other villages and even the group stationed at the gate of the Embrace. Unfortunately, Resh was among their number.

The volatile man had been nothing but a pain in Rost's side since he first took up his captaincy and had only gotten worse since then. He would argue constantly about the changes wrought by the High-Matriarchs, despite them being born from the testimony of the All-Mother. He refused to accept criticism and rarely took orders without grumbling at the very least. Usually, it was a fight just to get him to follow orders at all and it was a miracle if he went a week without starting a fight or lashing out in anger at a fellow Brave.

If Rost had to guess their feelings, he would feel confident in saying that no member of the Mother's Heart garrison liked working with Resh. Not a single one. Sadly though, even they were forced to admit that the annoying man could fight. He was good with both a bow and a spear. If Rost hadn't been brought back into the tribe and High-Matriarch Lansra hadn't changed her attitude, then there was a very good chance that Resh would be War-Chief Sona's second by virtue of his skill alone and Resh knew it.

The ass made no secret of the fact that he felt he deserved both the post of Captain in Mother's Heart and the honor of being second to the War-Chief. These, of course, being two positions held by Rost meant that Resh hated him more than anybody. Rost being a former outcast just made it worse.

This, of course, begs the question. Why would Rost bring such an annoying person with him on a dangerous hunting expedition? Well, the answer was simple. This was Resh's last chance. If he was argumentative, dismissive, or screwed up in any way during this hunt then Rost would reassign him somewhere far away. Preferably the gate so the man could work off some of his aggression on the Carja rather than his fellow Nora.

He'd have done it earlier, but with Resh being High-Matriarch Lansra's great nephew, it meant reassigning him difficult. It also meant he hadn't been cast out the time he nearly got his hunting partner killed by a machine during a training exercise. The bastard got lucky there, because Rost and Teersa wanted him gone but Lansra and Jezza were able to talk them down. That was the last time he listened to them about Resh though.
"Captain Rost?" Tarsa, his lieutenant spoke up from beside the fire.

"What is it?"

"What do you think this machine is?"

"Hmm." Rost rubbed his chin. The Seekers operating within the Sundom occasionally sent reports of what new machines appeared in Carja lands. There were at least three Cauldrons that they knew of within the Sundom while the Nora only had to contend with one. This, of course, meant that new machines were more likely to appear in the Sundom first.

"Based on the description we got from the villagers, it sounds like a Sawtooth. Ozea's reports on her encounter with one in the Sundom match what we have."

"Do you think we can take it?"

"Of course." Rost gave her a reassuring smile. It was only a few hours later, once the sun was high, that the group set off. Unfortunately, Resh started causing problems almost immediately.

"Move!" He shouted, shoving Tem out of the way and pushing his way to the front of the line. "I'm taking point, you useless halfwit."

"Resh!" Rost barked. He could almost hear a snarl in the back of the man's throat when he whipped around to face his captain. "Tem is our best scout. He's on point. Get your ass to the back of the column." He could see Resh's hands tighten around his spear in anger, but he complied, grumbling the entire time. The hunting party moved off but soon enough, Tem, who truly was an expert tracker, came upon unfamiliar tracks.

"Captain!" Coming closer, Rost activated his Focus. Scanning the tracks, he set the Focus to follow the trail.

"These are not dissimilar to those of a Scrapper," Rost said to the group, "but they're much bigger. I think it's safe to say we're dealing with a Sawtooth. Drim, break out the fire arrows. Fai and Vai, get your tripcasters out. Gran, do you have any fire bombs? We'll need them as a last resort."

The gruff older Brave dug into his pack while the others all pulled out the weapons he called for. Fai and Vai were a pair of twins that were renowned for their skill with traps. Drim was serving as the quartermaster of the hunt and was carrying the bulk of their special ammunition. Gran was the only one who'd brought a sling. Rost himself only had his bow, spear, and a ropecaster on his back.

Soon enough, they were all well-armed, and on the trail once again. They tracked the machine for several miles before they finally came upon it. The massive cat-like machine was prowling around a small round lake in a valley to the far northwest. Moving swiftly, the group disappeared into the woods to the north of the lake. Scanning the Sawtooth once it was in range, Rost counted its weaknesses.

"Looks like Ozea was right. Fire is a very good weapon against this thing. Probably our only weapon." Rost whispered to the group.

"What are its weak points?" Tarsa asked. She'd been hunting with Rost many times over the years and knew the capabilities of his Focus well.

"There aren't many. Just its eyes and the blaze canisters. We'd be best served by trapping its path." Scanning again, Rost set the Focus to highlight the path the Sawtooth was following.

Machines tended to follow set paths, but only for a certain period of time. It could be days or merely a few hours but eventually the machines would move on and wander off towards another site. After a while either that machine would come back, or a different one would take its place. Areas where the same type of machine often congregated were referred to as machine sites since they were places certain types of machines could be reliably found.

This particular Sawtooth was following a path that took it all the way around the lake every time so, once it was well past them and out of sight, Rost led Fai and Vai down to set traps along its path. The girls worked quickly, years of trapping experience and that odd connection twins share lending speed to their work. Then they fled back into the trees to wait.

Roughly an hour later, the Sawtooth came lumbering back around the small lake. The group waited with bated breath to see if it would cross the tripwires. Rost tightened his grip on his spear, staring as the machine came closer and closer. The Sawtooth stepped down on a pair of crossed tripwires which detonated their explosives with a deafening 'BOOM.'

Releasing a battle cry, Rost charged alongside several of his team. The rest stayed back, loosing arrows at the now burning machine. The Captain of Mother's Heart drove his spear deep into the flank of the machine, severing the connection between the Sawtooth and its left rear foreleg.

"Resh, no!" A voice shouted but Rost was too distracted by the "twhing" noise and the rush of hot air not even an inch above his head. Looking up, he saw a flaming arrow sunk deep into a blaze canister on the back of the Sawtooth.

"Oh, shit." Rost thought, just before the canister exploded sending him flying backwards and into a bush. He could feel a burning pain in his face, but it wasn't too bad. None of the liquid blaze splashed him, so he was unlikely to suffer anything but a few minor burns. Moving to rise, Rost was stopped by a piercing and agonizing pain in his side.

"AAAGH!" Rost screamed, looking from the spear lodged in his left side to the grinning, manic face of Resh who was holding the other end. With a bellowing roar Bherg, a hulking brute of a man, charged Resh and tackled him off Rost.

"Captain!" Tarsa screamed, skidding into the dirt at his side but he couldn't really hear her. His vision was starting to go dark, and sound was fading away. "Rost!" He thought he heard her scream. The last thing he saw before his vision went dark was the image of Bherg raining blow after blow onto Resh's face, the corpse of the Sawtooth, and the sound of the man's dark laughter.

"Aloy…"

When next he woke, he was lying on a cot inside a tent. His side burned when he tried to move, but he didn't get far before a hand pushed him back down.

"Easy, Captain." The soothing voice of Sola said softly. She was the healer chosen to accompany the hunting party. "We're back at camp."

"Are the others alright?" Rost asked, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Everyone is fine, except you. You'll live, but that spear cut deep. It's going to be a while before you're back to normal."

"What about Resh?"

"He's been gagged and tied up." Sola grimaced. "We managed to keep Bherg from killing the traitor but only barely. He hasn't woken up yet, but it won't be pretty when he does."

"Good." Rost nodded, ignoring the discomfort in his side for a moment. "Where's my Focus?" He could feel the absence of the device on the side of his head. "I need to contact the War-Chief and the High-Matrairchs."

"It's right here." She gestured to a stump that sat next to the cot. Sure enough, the Focus was sitting on it. "Don't worry about reporting. Tarsa was able to use it long enough to report in so they know what's happening. Mother's Song is sending a group to help bring you and the traitor home. You can contact everyone else once you have a bit of your strength back."

Rost could only nod and lay his head back. Seeing that his people had the situation well in hand, he let himself drift back into the darkness of sleep.

A/N: There we go! What do you think? Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments and reviews!

I very nearly ended it with Rost blacking out after he got stabbed but that felt too cruel! Speaking of which… what do we think of Resh now? Thoughts?

On to Forbidden West! Okay, so… holy crap do I have ideas. I mean, the Quen alone! So, so, so many ideas for how those interactions might go in this story! I wanted to write them so bad! I even couldn't help myself and wrote up a small scene that's a potential "this is how my Aloy would meet Alva" kind of thing!

And the Tenakth! Love their culture and have so many ideas! Part of me wants to skip ahead and start writing for them already but I can't! Beta too! I freaking love her! Practically every scene of hers, I was thinking about how the Aloy from this story would handle talking to her! How different it would be! Suffice it to say, motivation is high. I've already mapped out roughly through chapter 25.

It's a delicate balancing act between showing the changes that come from GAIA surviving and getting into the plot of Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. I want to show a lot of Aloy as a kid and the Red Raids, but I don't want to be on Chapter 50 before I get to the Proving! So, I sat down and mapped out what I want to do up to a certain point with later bulletins for other stuff.

That said, I think I now have a plan I'm happy with and that won't take too much longer to get to the events of the games. So, since my motivation is high, there is a chance of me getting an extra chapter or two out a month. Absolutely NO guarantees on that! 1 a month is my only guarantee!

Oh, did anybody catch the reference I left in the Vala scene? Let me know if you got it!

Answers to Questions

On FFN

LunaShadowWolf: I'm glad you liked it! We were back to form with this one. I hope you liked Forbidden West!

Frostwolf3227: Apparently, she basically gets one in Forbidden West so… yeah, she'll have a grappling hook.

Darkhunter677: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope you continue to like it! I love GAIA too. I'll be getting back to her POV in a little while. Another chapter or two I think.

Rios: Glad you liked it!

Deltanumber4: Thank you so much! We'll definitely be seeing a few fan favorite characters as time goes on. I've already got a few ideas on how I want to handle them but it'll be a while before I really get to them.

TOGDESTROYER: I'm glad you like it so far!

On AO3

ReviewerDWJ2: Fair enough! I hope you liked the references I put in this chapter!

Kasanra: I really hope it inspires a fic or 2. If I have time I may write a summary style long oneshot based on it but that would be a lot of work and I don't have a lot of time.

Jpxo999: I fully believe that if Aloy could see Star Wars canonically, she'd love it.

WolvezRock17: I'm glad you liked it! I really want to portray Karst as being just a little bit of a badass so I'm glad it works!

Ryanlarsen84: I feel the same way! Especially after playing Forbidden West! I want to skip ahead so bad! I can't though, there's too much to get through with the Red Raids that'll affect the future! I hope it won't be too long though. I'm glad you liked the reference scene! Your interpretation was very much correct! As for your birthday, I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out. I'm really motivated to write but I don't know when it'll happen. Happy Birthday regardless!

TheLoveOfHorizon: Thank you!

Tyry95: I've played it now! Only the dlc to go!

JamaLlama: Yup! It even worked on Rost!

RicketyKid: Glad you like it!

SpritDeNight: I'm happy you're enjoying the story!

Exos_Fara: Look who was right!

The ArtseeWinks: Nah, they were just curious.

Rojobuzz: Thank you! I try to make every change I make to canon a believable one that comes from GAIA's interaction with the Nora so I'm happy you're excited to see what comes next!

TheMagicDragon13: I'm glad you like it! I agree with you about Aloy and Beta. I still need to play Burning Shores but I'm leaning towards Seyka and Aloy for now unless I wind up not liking her.

Reactivegull12: Glad to see you back! No worries! I'm ADHD too so I get it, believe me. As for GAIA, we will be getting back to her POV soon, I promise! As for the Star Wars stuff, I didn't even need to watch the scene to know what to write! I love Clone Wars so much I actually have a few episodes memorized. BTW, I hope you enjoyed the Resh punching in this chapter!