Raven Wolf - 01 - The Wilds - Chapter 11 by Kurapika < Submission

Keywords male 1174234, female 1064547, fox 244392, wolf 190590, raccoon 36041, skunk 33737, vixen 28262, wolves 4927, cougar 4406, raven wolf 329

Raven Wolf - Book 01 - The Wilds
Chapter Eleven

Dolly is sitting in a van crowded with electronics meant for surveillance, she staring at a large map that is being illuminated on a screen in front of her. A bright red dot that marked the location of the group they were currently tracking upon the map, her brother being among that group.

For several days now her and her team had been following their movements, waiting for them to reach their destination so that they could put the plan to capture the leader of Raven wolf and get her brother and the rest of the captives back into action.

The door to the large vehicle opens and one of the soldiers dealing with the computers outside of the van walks up to Zack, who is right now sitting in a chair with his feet up on the equipment, a bored look on his face. The man hands him a folder before leaving to returning to his work, Zack opening it and looking it over, he then closing it and holding it out to Dolly. “Here. The latest satellite images on the group.”

Dolly frowns as she snatches the folder from him. “Would it kill you to act just a little more professional?”

Zack relaxes getting himself more comfortable. “You’re just all uptight about this because your brother is involved.”

Dolly pushes Zack’s feet off of the expensive military equipment he was using as a footstool, forcefully turning the chair he sat in around so that he would face her. “Teddy’s being involved is no thanks to you!”

Zack grumbles to himself, Dolly always going on about this. “I was just following orders alright? No one predicted that she would go after him!”

Dolly sharply turns away from him, opening the folder and looking at the photos inside, it an overhead shot of the group they were tracking. Dolly placing her fingers upon the figure she knew to be her brothers. She sighs to herself looking back to the red dot on the map. “It looks like the group is now entering the high ground meadows.”

Zack leans back in his chair. “Yeah to pass through, that was where Raven Wolf originally lived, but they’ve been long gone from that place. We’ve searched the area countless times in hope of finding where it was they ran off to a long time ago and came up empty handed. All that’s left in that place are ruins.”

*******

Iuana comes to a stop when she sees something ahead of her, a sad look clouding her face as she stares forward. It had been days since they had started their travels, and Iuana was well aware that they had to pass through this place to get to their destination. But even so, every time she saw this place it was hard for her to face.

Yula bumps into her back, having not noticed that she had come to a stop, he looking around him at what she was staring at. “Iuana, what’s wrong?”

Iuana looks back to him as she answers. “This is where my pack used to live, before the domestics forced us to find a new home, it’s where I grew up… the place where my first two brothers died, and where you were taken from us Yula.”

Teddy walks up next to Iuana, placing a hand upon her shoulder. “Iuana… are you going to be okay?”

Yula looks back ahead of him. “Really…?” He walks forward looking over his surroundings, there really nothing there but dirt paths upon the ground that outlined where roads, houses and fire pits had been. “I really don’t remember any of that happening… I guess I’ve been stuck in that room so long that my days in the laboratory are the only thing I can recall now…”

Iuana takes Yula’s hand walking him forward, Teddy moving to follow, Eve placing her hand upon his chest and stopping him. “I think… we should give her space… something like this cannot be easy on her.”

Iuana motions towards the fields of long grass they are right now upon. “The fields that surround us… the four of use used to play within them all the time as children. We would play for hours with the other children in the pack, then when mother or father called for us to come back for bed or a meal, we would run away and hide from them, forcing them to come and find us. Mother would often get annoyed and scold us for making her look for us, but father would always meet us with his same light hearted grin, and then mother would scold him for not scolding us.”

She moves forward pulling Yula along with her to what had once been a large open center of village. “This was the middle of the village, it was always so warn out because of all the walking that went through it, you can’t tell with the way it is now but our village was always busy.”

She points down to the ground. “Sometimes you would draw pictures in the dirt with a stick while we waited for our friends to come and meet us so we could go play. Then you would sometimes hold us up because you refused to leave until you finished your picture.”

Iuana once again makes her way through the old paths, coming to a stop within an outline of what had been a larger house among the village. “This is the chieftains home, this is where the current leader of our pack and his family lived. At first, when grandfather and grandmother were still the pack leaders, we lived in this room with our parents. Then, when grandfather and grandmother died and mother and father became the leaders, they moved to our grandparents old room. We were supposed to stay in our own spate room but we never did, we would always go to their room to sleep.”

Yula pulls his hand from Iuana, he walking away from her towards the outline of what had once been another structure. “This was… the healers hut… this is where Maka died…”

Iuana approaches Yula that indeed correct. “Yes… this is where our brother Maka died… the domestics had poisoned our water source… many members of our pack died when he did…”

Yula walks over to where another building had once stood. “This is the building where we would be taught our studies during the day… this is where Kai died.”

Iuana nods her head. “Many children died on that day, the domestics attacked us in the middle of the day without warning, they set fire to many of our homes during the fighting, many children became trapped in this one… and they died there.”

Yula leaves this area, how now walking over to a spot that would have once been a road in the village. “This is where we stood when mother left… father had not woken when she had gotten up to leave, but we had both woken, we followed her, but were afraid of getting in trouble so we stayed far behind. From this spot is where we watched her leave.”

Iuana nods her head. “She left to speak to the domestics, to try and get them to stop their assaults… she didn’t want her people to shed any more blood. It was the last time that I saw her alive.”

Yula lowers his head staring at the ground at his feet. “I can’t picture any of it… I can’t see these things… but I know… I know without having to see that these things happened. I can feel it somehow… like a memory my body remembers even though my mind cannot recall.”

Eve sighs as she watches the two of them, she looking back to Teddy. “It’s sad, but stories like that are not uncommon. Though this land was originally inhabited by the wilds the domestics were quick to take it over and make themselves its new owner. Many tribes faced the very same fate as this village, it’s no wonder her people hate the domestics…”

Teddy looks back to Iuana, for the time he had known her, both when she was a prisoner and when she was on this journey. He had never seen her look as heartbroken as she did now.

Iuana takes a deep breath, it now time for her to finish recollecting memories both happy and sad. If she let herself she could lose herself in the happier times she had experienced here for days. “Let’s go, this place at one time was our home, but that is not the case any longer. Father moved us to a new home so that I and the rest of his people would be safe from those that attacked us. Two more days, and then we will be there.”

Iuana continues forward while Yula stays in his spot, Teddy walking up next to Yula and coxing him forward. “Come on, it’s two more days of travel, not much longer until we are there.”

Yula nods his head, reluctantly moving from his spot and following after Teddy and Eve.

*******

Fitz lets out a tired yawn as he makes his way through the dark halls of the museum, making sure that all the doors and windows were locked for the night. “Honestly where the heck did Eve disappear to? Dealing with the school trips in the morning and locking up at night are both her tasks not mine, but since she’s not here I have to fill in for her.” He places his hands on the back door pushing against it to make sure that it was locked from the inside. “I mean, what kind of excuse could she possibly have for not coming home in such a long time.”

Eve’s father passes by Fitz while on his way up to his room. “Didn’t I tell you Fitz? She was kidnapped along with some other people at her work.”

Fitz turns back to Eve’s father horrified by the news, he accidently blinding him with the flashlight he held. “She’s what!? How could you not have told me that until now!? And how are you able to say it so casually!?” He continues to interrogate Eve’s father. “Has there been a ransom? News reports?? Anything?”

Eve’s father shakes his head no. “The military is preferring to keep this from reaching the public’s ears, so there will be nothing in the news about it, they won’t even tell me the details, just that she’s been kidnapped. I’m sure though if the military is involved they’ll be able to get her back safe and sound.”

Fitz stares at him in disbelief. “How can you be so calm!?”

Eve’s father lets out hardy laugh. “Don’t worry Fitz, the military said they had everything under control! She’ll be back before you know it!”

Fitz watches as Eve’s father continues on his way headed off to bed, he at a loss of what to say to him.

*******

Teddy stares at Iuana, she keeping silent as she stayed seated away from the rest of the group, keeping to herself, Teddy walking over to her and sitting down next to her to speak. “Hey are you going to eat anything? I worked pretty hard to get tonight’s food you know.”

Iuana does not look over to him. “I don’t feel like eating.”

Teddy holds out the meat that the others were right now eating their shares of. “You need your strength for the long travels ahead of us, you’re not going to have that if you miss a meal. We’re not at your home just yet after all.”

Iuana takes the food from him slowly beginning to eat it, Teddy being correct with his concerns. She looks back to him, he making the journey a lot easier, not just in concerns to Yula, he the one that managed to bring them the food they consumed during their travels. “I must thank you for all the work you have been doing… not only in concerns to Yula but to me as well. You have done so much with no one having to ask, and never once have you complained or demanded compensation for the things that you do.”

Teddy smiles back at her. “It’s nothing really.”

Iuana looks back to him that not the truth at all. “It is not nothing! You were kind to me when I was a prisoner, you brought me to Yula when I asked you to, and helped me and Yula escape the city attacking your own people in the process. Then you look after Yula to help him adjust to the traveling, and every night you make sure that none of us sleeps with an empty stomach… you have done a lot for not just for me, but everyone.”

Teddy stares at her sheepishly. “Well… most of that is true, but remember I brought you to Yula because you had a gun pointed at my head.”

Iuana looks down at the ground. “What will you do once we reach my home?”

Teddy thinks the question over. “I don’t know actually, I’m in a lot of trouble with the military for helping you out no doubt. I can’t so easily return like Eve is able to.” He looks back to Eve. “And in concerns to her, she may seem a little bit uptight, but she has a deep love and respect for the wild tribes around the world. She wouldn’t say anything that may endanger you and your people. I’m sure she would hate to have to you become one of the extinct cultures that she has to study about.”

Iuana takes Teddy’s hand holding it within hers. “You should stay with me and my people!”

Teddy looks back at her a little surprised by the request. “What?”

Iuana continues to explain. “You are a kind and good person so my father is sure to accept you, and you said yourself that you were not happy living among the domestics, and the other guard was always talking about how you liked the way that I looked-”

Teddy flushes as he interrupts her and quickly tries to explain. “I’m sorry about that! Magellan shouldn’t have been saying stuff like that when you were present it was very rude of him! I mean that’s not to say that you’re not good looking or anything like that! You’re very pretty, but there’s a lot more to you than that you know, you’re smart, strong and-”

Iuana frowns as she slightly raises the tone in her voice. “Will you stop babbling for a moment! I am not insulted!”She sighs once Teddy has calmed down. “To be perfectly honest… I think of you in the same way… even if I hadn’t of know about Yula I still would have met you in your home… without attacking you and holding you at gun point of course!”

Teddy laughs at the comment, Iuana smiling back at him. “I’m happy that you have accompanied me this far, and not just because of all the work that you do. Then when the journey is finished, if you do indeed accept my offer to stay with my people, to have you continue to stay near me… I would be happier with nothing else.”

Teddy is about to say something to Iuana when Yula climbs onto his back almost bringing him to the ground, he looking past Teddy and toward the food that Iuana had not yet finished eating. “Hey Iuana are you going to finish eating that? If not then I’ll gladly finish it for you.”

Teddy frowns as he pushes Yula off of him. “You really couldn’t have picked a worse time Yula.”

Yula looks back to him. “I’m just saying that it would be a shame for that good tasting food to go to waste, so if she doesn’t want it I can eat it for her no problem!”

Teddy glares back at him. “Yula!”

Yula argues back with Teddy. “I said no problem!”

Iuana stuffs the last of her food in her mouth, Yula’s tail falling to the ground in disappointment. “Aww… that was mean of you, you just did that because I wanted it didn’t you? You didn’t even look hungry at all.”

Iuana look back to Yula. “Me being hungry or not has nothing to do with it. I need the strength for the journey tomorrow.”

Yula smiles back up at Iuana, perking up again as he changes the topic. “So, do you think that when we get to your home that your dad will recognize me?”

Iuana nods her head yes. “Of course he will! He’ll be so happy that he may even start crying!”

Teddy looks over to Iuana. “Well that’s certainly a thing to say about the great leader of the cursed Raven Wolf tribe.”

Iuana frowns at the comment. “Father is a very kind and emotional person, it is true that he is powerful and formidable in battle, but he is not the monster that the domestics make him out to be.”

Teddy grins. “I suppose I’ll see for myself when you introduce me to him.”

*******

The group is once again traveling; it had been a day since Iuana had presented Teddy with her proposition. Teddy still thinking the idea over, there a lot for him to think about, he had family that right now lived within the domestic city that Iuana’s tribe right now fought against, his sister was even in the military like he had been. The idea that his own family would be his enemy was not very appealing, but staying with Iuana was with a doubt appealing.

Iuana comes to a stop, holding her hand out and signalling for the others to do the same. “Wait… there is someone up ahead.” She holds the spear she had crafted earlier in her journey tightly in her hands, she not having to use it until now. “Stay here, I while I deal with them.”

She runs forward, her footsteps silent as she disappears within the tall grass in front of her. Yula looking back to Teddy and Eve concerned. “Who do you think it is!?”

Eve crosses her arms. “Well, we’re pretty close to where her village is supposed to be located right? More than likely it’s a member of her own pack. I’m sure that Iuana has realized this too, and that everything will be sorted out once she talks to them.”

The loud scream of a child suddenly sounds catching everyone’s attention. Yula panicking as he looks the group over. “Why does it sound like Iuana just attacked a kid!?”

The group remains silent, Iuana returning to the group with a frown on her face. “It was nothing to worry about.” She forcefully pulls her arm forward bringing a child from behind the tall grass and into the group’s sight.

Yula gasps in shock. “You did attack a child!!”

Iuana looks back at him with a frown. “I didn’t attack him! I only startled him.”

Eve stares at the child that Iuana right now held onto, the young cougar cub looking familiar, Eve having seen a picture of him in the news not that long ago. “Kit… Milford…?”

The boy looks over to Eve. “Hey you know my name! How is that possible!?”

Eve gasps pulling the boy from Iuana’s grip and positioning him in front of her. “What are you doing here! Everyone thinks you’re dead you know!”

Yula looks to Eve. “Do you know this boy?”

Eve quickly turns back to Yula. “You should know him too! He was in your dream remember!? The boy that was killed?”

Yula looks back to Kit. “You’re right! It is him! What’s he doing here he’s supposed to be dead!”

Kit frowns turning away from them. “I’m not talking to members of the military!”

Iuana glares down at the child. “We are not members of the military!”

Kit turns back to them. “Then why do you all carry the symbol of the military on your clothes?!”

Eve looks the group over, this was true, her lab coat had the mark of the military on it, as did Iuana and Yula clothes as they were test subjects belonging to the military. Even Teddy was still in his uniform. “Well… he is right about that…”

Iuana looks down at the boy. “Because we were captured by the military and escaped! Don’t you remember me? I was the representative from Raven Wolf’s side that night when the peace treaty was taking place.”

Kit looks back to Iuana looking her over. “Oh that’s right! It was you! I didn’t recognize you at first! You’re wearing different clothes then before!”

Eve brings the boy’s attention back to her. “Alright, now that you know that we’re not enemies, what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere.”

Kit grins at her placing his hands behind his head. “I followed Shera out here!”

Iuana and the group look a little confused, non really recognizing that name. “She-ra…?

Teddy looks over to Eve. “Isn’t that a superhero in a children’s show? The one with the attractive lady horse that changes into a Pegasus with rainbow wings, you know… Shera, Pegasus of Power?”

Eve nods her head. “Now that you mention it… I do remember the children in the elementary groups I give the museum tours to talking about this Shera character.” Eve looks back down to the boy in disbelief. “You followed a fictional character all the way out here?”

Kit look over to Teddy and Eve with a frown. “Don’t be stupid why the heck would I do that? I’m not talking about that Shera, I’m talking about a different Shera. A black bird came to the village, and Shera said that the bird’s presence was because the raven spirit wanted to meet with him. So he left to do go that, I followed him because I wanted to see what the spirit looked like! I mean something like that has got to look pretty cool right!? But I lost him and then I realized that I didn’t know how to get back to the village. So I’ve just been wandering around hoping that I’ll eventually find it.”

Teddy begins to question Kit. “You haven’t by chance, come from the Raven Wolf village we’re all trying to reach have you…?”

Kit nods his head. “Yeah that’s right! That’s exactly the place! You wouldn’t happen to know where it is would you?”

Iuana is thinking over what Kit had said. “The raven spirit does not ask to see just anyone, the only one that he allows to view him is the chieftain-” She angrily looks down at Kit yelling at him. “Shiya!!! His name is Shiya!! How dare you call him the name of some rainbow winged… whatever it is those two are talking about!! It’s insulting to his great name!!”

Kit looks back to Iuana, not seeing what it was she was so upset about. “That’s what I said, Shera.”

Iuana growls angrily as she again corrects the boy. “Do not call my father that!! His name is Shiya!!”

Kit nods his head. “Yeah that’s right, Shera.”

“Shiya!!”

“I know Shera!!”

Teddy steps between the two of them, pushing Iuana back as he tries to calm her down. “Look this isn’t getting us anywhere. Lecture him about his pronunciation another time.” He looks back to Kit. “How did you end up all the way over here? What happened?”

Kit looks over to Teddy. “Well dad sent me with the military, he told me that he needed my help to bring peace to the people of the city and the Raven Wolf tribe. I was supposed to live with the Raven Wolf tribe while someone from Raven Wolf was supposed to live there in the city with him. It’s supposed to be all respectful and the highest form of trust and understanding or something like that. But when I got there one of the guys from the military shot me in the back! I’m not making this up either! I have the mark to prove it. Then because I got hurt the military attacked Raven Wolf because they thought that they were the ones that hurt me. I guess they didn’t’ see that it was one of their men that did it… but a big fight started and I can’t really remember what happened after that.”

Eve looks to Yula, she able to tell that he was thinking the same thing, that the boy’s story tied in exactly with the dream he had had two weeks ago.

Kit continues with his explanation. “When I woke up after that I was in the Raven Wolf tribe’s village, in a building where the wounded are supposed to stay so they can be healed. Shera and the rest of his tribe saved me and brought me back there to make me better.”

Iuana frowns at the boy growling between clenched teeth. “It’s Shiya!

Kit smiles happily, that all there was to it. “Shera’s been taking care of me ever since! He’s not mad at me or nothing about what happened! Even though I totally messed up the peace treaty by getting hurt, he just says it’s not my fault and not to worry about it. He’s really nice.”

“His name is Shiya!”

Kit frowns as he looks back to Iuana. “That’s what I keep saying! Shera!”

Eve speaks up, taking to the boy. “Well Kit, we happen to be headed towards the Raven Wolf village too, so you’re welcome to join us if you would like.”

Kit nods his head that sounding great. “Yeah that would help out a lot! Shera is probably really worried about me by now!”

“Shiya!”

“What is your problem!? Stop yelling at me already!!”

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Raven Wolf - 01 - The Wilds - Chapter 11

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