Of Fire and Fury (Book 1: Light-Born Series)

Chapter 14 - Rabid

Akecheta was merciless, just as he had promised. For the first week, he started working to make her strong. Her lean Napua body was not strong enough to do much damage, so instead of fighting, he had her carry a blade with her at all times. At the beginning of each day, he made her run with the long dagger in hand, until she collapsed in a heap at his feet. Then, after the briefest rest, she would be required to run again. The first day, she threw up on his shoes. By the fourth day, she was already getting used to the weight of the dagger in her hands, and he graduated her to holding it straight out in front of her for hours on end, until her shoulders cramped or collapsed from exhaustion. By the eighth day, she was allowed to release the dagger and started learning to brawl. 

She started scrapping with children half her size. The first boy stood across from her with his arms crossed, mud tousled through his dark hair, his eyes dark and brooding. He stared at her hard, daring her to make a move. She had no idea what to do, so she just stared back, her arms held up awkwardly in front of her should he attack out of nowhere. Finally, she got irritated, and ran at him. He stuck out a foot, grabbed her raised arm, and flipped her on her back almost immediately. The children who stood watching burst out laughing. Her face burned red, but her pride was her only true injury. At the end of the day, she limped back to her and Stone’s teepee and laid in pain on the floor.

But when she wasn’t fighting, Rabid was thinking. The memories were clawing their way to the front of her mind, and her need for constant distraction became all encompassing. So she trained relentlessly. For weeks, she spent every moment she could in combat, or learning blade skills, until her body was so exhausted that her mind was quiet. When the others grew tired of fighting and needed to rest from her questions, Rabid had little else to do. So, rather than sit in her own grief, she took to walking. Even as her muscles were sore or her limbs ached from constant beatings, Rabid couldn’t make herself stop moving. Stone seemed to understand, and quickly stopped trying to force her to rest. 

The first few weeks, she stuck to the outer edges of Omarihom, running her fingers absent-mindedly along the bare logs that made up the wall. Today, the grief was screaming louder than before—like an animal had been caged inside of her and was clawing its way out. The monotony wasn’t helping anymore, so after her second trip around the edge of Omarihom, she turned inward, snaking through the winding avenues that were only a few paces wide, separating the teepees. She walked in a daze, avoiding her own thoughts by focusing on her feet or the sights and the smells that whirled around her. It took everything in her to think nothing at all.

“What are you doing here?” a voice shocked her from her mindlessness. Rabid turned to see Fox and another woman she did not know. Fox wore a tight lipped grin, her eyes bright as though she had found a rabbit in a snare. She took a few steps forward, as Rabid glanced around instinctively. She had found herself backed into a corner, where two teepees touched a large oak tree—she was trapped.

“I thought you were learning to fight?” Fox said, eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “You know Omari are afraid of nothing, and yet you cower before us? How would you ever fight against a man? Against an army?”

Her mocking set Rabid on edge. Fox laughed, the sound cutting straight through Rabid’s fear. Fox turned her head, looking to her friend, just as Rabid lunged at her, punching as hard as she could. Fox stumbled to the ground, surprised, as Rabid lit into her with her fists as quickly as she could. Rabid used everything she had learned, and Fox fought back hard, elbowing her in the chin and landing a blow to her face.

Quickly, though, Rabid was pulled away and thrown to the ground by the second woman. Fox swore, jumping to her feet, and spat blood on the ground; the meager victory made Rabid grin. But, her pride was dashed to pieces as Fox landed a swift kick to her stomach. The pain was almost blinding as it forced all the breath from her lungs. Rabid gasped and choked, trying hard to breathe as another kick collided with her ribs.

“Napua swine.” Fox said, spitting blood onto Rabid’s face. Her voice was like a dagger. “Even a dog can be trained to bite, but that doesn’t make you one of us. You will never deserve Stone, and you’ll never be one of us.”

With one more swift kick to the stomach, Fox turned and stormed off. Rabid watched her two braids swinging behind her, still struggling to breathe. After several long moments, she pushed herself to a sitting position. When she finally found her way to her feet, she was light headed and woozy. Hot tears poured from her eyes, not just from the pain and humiliation, but because Fox’s words had stung. She tried to ignore them, but they had cut deeper than her blows had. Rabid stayed several moments longer in that place between the teepees—weeping bitterly for all she had lost—before locking the feelings away again.

The walk back to her teepee was slow and painful. Her head swam with every step, and twice she had to pause to blink back the blurriness in her eyes. Eventually, she stumbled into the teepee. Stone looked up the moment she walked in, his face immediately darkening. He stood, and gently grabbed her chin with two fingers, examining her already swelling cheek.

“This wasn’t from training. What happened?” he said. Rabid pulled her face away and tried to move but he grabbed her shoulders. 

“Rabid, who did this to you?” he tried again, pushing her to sit on the bed. His voice was a low growl, more an order than a question. But Rabid avoided his intense stare. Her pride was not so injured that she needed him to come to her rescue. When she refused to answer him, he stood and moved toward the door.

“What are you going to do, ask every Omari who hates me which one finally did something about it?” she snapped, sharper than she had intended. Stone froze in the doorway, halfway out of the tent. He sighed heavily.

“You’d have me do nothing?” he said without turning, his voice was soft and measured.

“I can take care of myself.” Rabid said, still angry.

“Well, this is about me, then. They attacked my woman. That won’t stand.” He said and started to go outside again.

“Stone, I’m serious. Think of this as… extended training.” Rabid pleaded. “Aren’t you always saying to be ready for anything? Well, I learned that lesson.” 

At that, Stone turned back inside and crouched in front of her face. His brow was creased as he touched her cheek gently. Rabid flinched, and he pulled back quickly, swearing under his breath.

“God, Rabid. I’m so sorry.” He said. “I’m supposed to protect you, and I can’t even keep you from harm in my own home.”

“It’s not your fault.” Rabid sighed. “I started it.” 

Stone’s eyebrows shot up.

“Now that I don’t believe.” he said, crossing his arms and waiting for the story.

“I did, actually. Someone made me angry, and I punched her first. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.” Rabid turned her attention toward the fur beneath her legs, wiping her fingers across it and leaving long wavy streaks.

“Do I need to tell you what a bad idea that is, Rabid, or did you learn that lesson as well?” Stone said, tilting her chin back upward to meet his eyes. He sounded very much like a school teacher scolding a child.

“I know.” She mumbled, glancing over the concern in his face. It warmed her heart to see that he cared. But then Fox’s words came back like another kick to the stomach, and Rabid looked at her hands. She had been right: Rabid didn’t deserve his affected or his protection, she never would. Stone sighed and joined her on the bed.

“I don’t like doing nothing.” He said. For a split second, Rabid saw him as the one who was pouting and powerless. But then, his eyes flashed, and he was a man again.

“Yes, I know. Just like me.” Rabid said, grinning slightly.

“It seems we aren’t so different after all.” He said, sighing heavily. “So, are you going to tell me about it?” 

“I don’t see the point.” Rabid sighed, but the tears pricked her eyes again, she blinked quickly and turned her head, but not before he saw it. Stone glanced away, pretending not to notice. He ground his teeth, but said nothing. Instead, he stood and went to the far side of their tent, digging through one of the bags of dried herbs he kept in the teepee. He pulled out a thick yellow-brown root and started grinding it between two smooth stones. When the root had become a thick paste, he scooped it in his hands and brought it over, kneeling in front of her. Rabid wiped her face and looked at him. He held out the poultice for her to take.

“Burdock root, for the swelling.” he said. Rabid took some in her hand and began to touch her chin, wincing slightly at the shock of pain it sent through her whole jaw.

“What do the Omari care for swelling?” Rabid asked, wincing again as she touched herself. 

“Here, let me help.” Stone said, sighing. He put some of the paste on two fingers and gently wiped it along her chin and under her eye, where swelling had already begun. His touch was so light, Rabid hardly felt anything. She watched him as he worked, his eyes squinted in intense focus as he gently rubbed the root on her face.

“Can’t distract from those eyes, can we?” he said quietly. Rabid watched him for a moment, unsure if that was the compliment it sounded like.

“You are nothing like I thought you’d be.” Rabid said suddenly. He glanced at her, then continued his work along her jaw bone.

“Oh, you haven’t seen me blood-thirsty yet.” he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Rabid grinned slightly, her face feeling tight against the swelling.

“I don’t believe you are at all.” she said.

“Be careful what Omari you insult like that. Others won’t take it as well as I will.” Stone said, but he looked like he wanted to smile. He finished his work and stepped back, examining her once more. He nodded and wiped the little poultice left on his pant leg.

When he stepped to the far side of the room to tidy up the remaining herbs, Rabid chanced a glance at herself in a piece of reflective glass she had near the bed. Her hair was disheveled, Fox’s blood was splattered across her face and a bruise had already started along her jaw. The yellow of the ground poultice didn’t help at all, and instead looked as though she had a sickly disease of the skin. At the sight of herself, Rabid turned instantly red. She combed her fingers through her hair and hastily rebraided it, knowing it did little to help her appearance.

Stone stepped close as she was tying off her braid, glancing over her face one more time. His close inspection made her want to hide herself, but she knew it wouldn’t save her embarrassment.

“I’m ready to go to bed.” Rabid said, a yawn escaping. Stone nodded and began tidying up the teepee as she started to change. This had become his nightly ritual, which she had become grateful for. His back was to her every night as she slipped out of her daily wear skins and into a long cloth shirt. When she was hidden under the furs in their bed, Stone pulled skins off the bed to make his place on the floor.

Rabid watched him make his bed ready. Every night he looked away as she dressed. Every night he slept on the floor. Part of her felt as though he thought that she wasn’t worth looking at, the other part just felt guilty for kicking a man out of his bed even though she had never asked it. Stone removed his shirt and lay on his back, sighing heavily as he watched the firelight flicker off the ceiling.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Rabid asked, watching him as he shifted on the mats.

“I’m fine.” he said, quickly, barely glancing her way.

“You don’t have to sleep down there.” Rabid said, feeling the heat already rising to her cheeks. Stone studied her for a long moment.

“I’m really okay, Rabid.” he said.

“I wake up in pain even from sleeping on the bed. I can’t imagine training all day and then sleeping on the ground.” she said, forcing herself to look at his face and not his perfectly toned muscles. “Please, I really don’t mind.”

Stone stood and replaced the furs on top of her, then slid into the bed beside her. She felt a buzzing in her stomach as he laid next to her. Stone stared at the ceiling, sighing heavily next to her.

“I can’t let you sleep on the floor for the rest of your life.” Rabid said, catching his eye.

“I appreciate it.” he said quietly.

Rabid turned to her side, facing away from him. She didn’t like the way her skin seemed to respond to him, aching to be touched when he was close by. It terrified her the way she had begun missing him when he was gone all day, and how she felt when she was training and saw him watching with approval. Something inside her wanted to stay aloof, and shut the man out. It was a war between letting herself be accepted and staying the outsider. Being accepted was what she always had wanted, wasn’t it? But now, with that as a possibility, she realized she had no idea what that would mean for her. At least as the outsider, she would always know where she stood. At least, as an outsider, she could anticipate the pain. If she opened up and was rejected, she had no idea if she could take it.

“Goodnight, Rabid.” Stone whispered.

“Goodnight.” Rabid whispered back.