We Dream of Hope

Escorted

“What the heck are you doing?” Sera stopped dead in her tracks and spun around facing directly at Odion who was just as shocked to hear this girl's voice in person as he was hearing her in his mind.

Odion looked around confused about what could have offended this woman. 

“How dare you get in that girl’s sweet head? Honey,” Sera ran up to Nadia, “You dear have got to close that mind of yours. We are reading you like a book. Don’t worry, he.” She turned and glared at Odion, “Will not be a problem.” 

“What just happened?” Odion stood back shocked, “did I miss something?”

Sera stepped back and put her hands on her hips, “You my boy are in trouble." She clicked her heels together which alerted everyone that she too was barefoot, though her feet looked in much better shape than Odion's, "How could you not listen to me and take a break? Do you know how lucky you are that I got there when I did? Oh so you think you take out one demon who is weak enough to be able to not only live on a mountain but to not be able to stabilize his aura. You just thought any demon could be just as easily killed right?" She huffed and continued walking the trio to the town, "You know if I knew you guys better maybe I wouldn't be surprised, but come on. Your Medjay isn't even fighting with a full arsenal, the wulver isn't able to pop a claw or canine, and you dear girl." She turned back to sick her face in Nadia's, you are just wanting every demon to know that there's still an angel out there aren't you?"

"Sorry, what did you all me?" Odion stepped up thinking he was supposed to be offended. 

"Wulver, darling. It's our technical name. Wolf War Beast just didn't roll off the tongue. You know like Fish war beasts or Marine war beasts are Merfolk. Cat people were Bastet, and so forth." turning to each of them she realized just how out of touch with events they were. "You guys didn't know any of that did you?"

The three shook their heads in unison.

"Well, what do you know?"

Ma'at once again took it as an invitation to answer first, "How about you assume we know nothing and you just tell us everything?"

"Well, I could, I guess we need something to talk about while we walk." spinning around gracefully on her heel Sera lead the way. She danced a path through the woods out onto an open road stretching in two directions off onto the horizon one way and the other straight to a giant wall. "So you could probably guess that I'm Odion's mother, but really there's so much more to that story."

"Sorry, you're what?" Odion scrounged to get in front of her to stop her dead in her tracks, she wasn't about to get away with claiming to be his mother and act like it was no big deal.

"I'm your mother. I mean come on." She raised a hand stretching to pat Odion on the head, "I'm the first Wulver, so you know everyone afterward came from me. You were actually the last one that I had. I wasn't able to take you with me after you were born, but keeping you with Hope's daughter was kind of a priority over anything else."

"So wait, you had me and then just left? You don't look like you're older than me, how could you be the first wulver?"

"Well, being the alpha wolf has its perks I'd say." She twisted a leg around Odion and spun behind him continuing down the road, "You know I'm over a thousand years old kid. Don't judge anyone's age on how they look. You'll age slowly too, I wouldn't say you will look this good at my age, but you can dream." She turned and winked at him playfully.

"Okay, so you knew my mother then?" Nadia spoke up finding it easier to keep pace with the dancing girl than Ma'at's military-style marching.

"Of course I did, I mean far better than you think. I won't bore you with the details. Your mother turned me into her war beast so you know we were pretty close. It's been a while since I saw a Medjay by the way. Kudos to you and sorry for your loss." 

Ma'at nodded but spared her words. Acknowledgment seemed to be the best way to handle the strange interaction.

"So you know all about the demons, I mean, if you don't the Medjay, can tell you. They just automatically know everything about them."

"Ma'at" Nadia corrected, she didn't want to seem rude, but her friend had a name and she deserved to have it used. 

"Ma'at? Huh, interesting name. Very Medjay-ish." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ma'at had dealt with her fair share of insensitivity, but she never expected it to come from a thousand-year-old wolf. 

"I just mean the Medjay usually named their children after their hopes for the child. Your name is basically saying that you bring justice to those around you. Very strong warrior name. I knew a few Medjay in my day. Ammit was a tower of a woman. I once saw her wipe out three demons with a single swing of her giant ax. Wepset she used this flame thrower to burn all kinds of demons. Sopdu held a shield so large it's said not even Lucifer himself could penetrate his defenses. The Medjay are just those who choose a certain type of name, that's all I was saying. Just means you're destined for greatness. Back during the height of war the Medjay were some of the best warriors."

"Yeah, until they were captured and farmed." scoffing at the remark Ma'at recalled how her parents were treated.

"It's true, you know, the Medjay were never given fair treatment. Many of us just thought of them as emotionless suits of armor. We weren't there for them when we needed to be." She turned back to Ma'at and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I am truly sorry, I know what you must have gone through. I heard a bit about the auctions. Being that young. If I would have gotten there sooner I might have saved you."

"It doesn't matter now. We can't live in the past." Ma'at took Sera's hand and smiled in appreciation for the sympathy. 

"Well, look at me." Sera cleared her throat and rushed back to the head of the group, "You know I can talk for a very long time without stopping, so how about you guys tell me a bit about yourselves?"

They took turns looks at each other and Odion raised his hand to go first. "You know all about me. So not much more to say."

"Not true!" Sera snapped and tapped her finger to her chin repeatedly. "How about we talk about-"

"What can you tell me about my mother?" Nadia spoke up ready to take her place in the conversation. "I don't know anything other than she was a fighter. She was supposed to be this living legend.  You knew her, tell me about her."

Sera scratched the back of her neck and exhaled deeply. Just as the group reached the large wall, "Maybe later. Let's get settled first." She passed through the brick as if it didn't exist. When no one followed her she ducked her head back through, "Come on, it's just an illusion, won't feel a thing."