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

Chapter 5 - Rabid

The seven travelers plodded along through the forest at a slow pace. Their pace was so even that they didn’t even need to break to eat, and instead tossed bags of dried fruit and meats between each other as they continued on horseback. Only Rabid felt the need to cling to her horse’s mane and ropes, her knuckles clenched tight and white anytime the pace quickened above a walk. The day felt long, longer than any Rabid remembered before.

The sun was slipping behind the tree line as Chief Blood Wolf called for camp. They stopped along the edge of a shallow creek, the bubbling water ran twisting beside large oak trees. As they dismounted, they each moved with a distinct stiffness that came from days of travel. Rabid’s body ached more than any others, as her weak muscles barely bore her own weight. She sighed, leaning slightly against Talia’s sweat-soaked body, as she tried to steady her legs.

“Rabid, I’m Black Bird.” a man said, grinning. A missing tooth left a dark hole in the side of his smile. Then he wagged a finger between her and Stone. “What a pair you two make.”

“What do you mean?” Rabid asked, fumbling with Talia’s ropes as she tried to remove her harness. She studied him for a moment: his hair was long and straight, billowing out of his head in mild chaos, his eyes piercing and dark, long wiry limbs. She almost wanted to laugh and be terrified at the same time.

As Black Bird opened his mouth to respond, Stone stepped toward them and shot Black Bird a dark glare.

“Go get some firewood.” Stone ordered. Black Bird chuckled and winked at Rabid before heading off obediently. Rabid turned to Stone instead, her curiosity peaked.

“What did he mean?” Rabid asked. Stone glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his mouth made a straight line as he pushed his lips together.

“We are very different.” He said. He squinted his eyes and examined her, looking almost mischievous as he continued. “Ignore him, he likes to put himself in other people’s business.”

Stone took the ropes from her fingers and made quick work of undressing the horse. As he worked, Rabid glanced around at the other men rubbing down their horses.

“I can do it.” Rabid said, grabbing Stone’s hand as he began to stroke Talia’s side. Heat filled her at his touch, but she ignored it. “She is mine, yes?”

He removed his hand and took a step away, watching her as she raked her fingernails through Talia’s matted coat, mimicking what she had seen the other men doing. The thick and musty scent of Talia’s sweat filled their nostrils. It smelled of effort and earth, and Rabid found herself liking it. When she glanced back at Stone, the edge of his mouth curved slightly before he nodded and walked to his own mount.

When she had finished taking care of Talia, Rabid walked to the stream and rinsed her arms and face. She scrubbed the sweat from her journey, letting the cool water drip down her neck and back. She shivered slightly as a stream of water went down her spine. Refreshed, she returned and placed her skins on the ground near the growing pile of firewood. Stone placed his skins next to hers, and she pretended not to notice.

Smoke soon rose from the small fire, as dried meat, fruit, nuts and berries were passed around. Finally, the Omari seemed to relax enough to talk. Rabid sat silently, the gnawing in her stomach slowly disappearing as she ate her fill.

“You really think they are back?” River, a boy even younger than Rabid, asked. His eyes were bright blew, like water, framed by dark curls that reached his shoulders. Chief Blood Wolf shrugged slightly.

“If all the traders speak the same, there must be some truth in it.” He responded.

“Remember the first fight with the Hauks?” Black Bird said, nudging Akecheta’s shoulder with his elbow. The men grinned at each other.

“I remember sending them running back to their snow capped mountains.” Akecheta laughed a deep, guttural laugh that Rabid felt in her chest. White Hawk, River, and Black Bird laughed with him. Rabid sat quietly, observing. Their words intrigued her: the Napua did not speak of fighting, of sickness, or other darkness. They did not trade outside the Minaloa clans and did not leave their homes except to forage for nuts, roots, and berries. More than ever, she felt as though she had lived her life inside one of the bubbles of the river she grew up beside.

“That was hardly the first fight.” River said, his brow furrowed.

“Our first fight.” Black Bird conceded, correcting himself. “But you are right in that.” He nodded, pointing his knife at River, a piece of apple wedged onto the end.

“I can’t wait to kill some Hauks.” River sighed, his gaze grew hard. He jumped as Chief Blood Wolf threw a stick at him.

“We do not hope for death, even if they deserve it.” the stoic warrior rebuked. River’s face fell as he shoved a root in his mouth. The conversation lulled at that. Rabid was surprised by his response. She had always assumed the Omari loved to kill just for the sake of killing—that’s what she had always been taught, anyway.

Rabid turned her attention to Stone, who sat silently beside her. His strong jaw worked as he shifted his gaze between watching her from the corner of his eye to watching the other men. They all sat in silence, chewing their food for several moments. Black Bird seemed agitated in the silence, and finally called across the crackling fire.

“Have you heard the story of Lady Willow, Napua?”

The rest of the men looked toward Rabid, she smiled slightly and nodded.

“I love that story.” She said. Black Bird grinned and held up his hand in invitation toward Chief Blood Wolf. The chief sighed softly, and nodded. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and began with a quiet reverence,

“The earth was but water, full of creatures swimming in the deep darkness of the great rivers. The only land was the land above the sky: full of creatures that looked like us but were not us. The land above was fruitful, and soon they were growing too many and too fast in the sky land, and they began fighting with the sky people. The sky people went to the Great One and beseeched him. ‘Isn’t there somewhere we can send these creatures?’

“The Great One poked a hole in the sky and peered down into the deep dark waters. He knew they could be sent down to the earth, if only there was somewhere for them to land. But the Great One knew what he could do. So he called on Lady Willow. She offered of herself the seeds that would populate the ground. Bending into the hole in the sky, the Great One gave her a mighty shake, and sent her leaves floating down to the deep darkness below. These leaves landed on the waters. The Great One blew a mighty wind from the sky and sent the leaves all over the surface of the water. These grew and grew and grew, and became the land we are standing on. Lady Willow’s seeds were fruitful, they grew grasses, trees, and bushes, and many other plants.

“When the earth was covered with good things to eat and soft grass to lay on, the Great One gathered the sky creatures together and sent them down to the new land. They grew and changed, as they started eating of the ground, and became strong horses, loyal dogs, elk, bird, and more. After generations of eating of the earth, they eventually lost the language of the sky, calling out in different tongues in whatever way they know how. The seeds of Lady Willow stayed fruitful, and they allowed these creatures to populate the entire earth. When there were so many creatures that the land could not sustain them, the Great One created men like us, forming them from the dust of the ground, to rule over these creatures. We were created to help these creatures, to hunt, and to manage them so that they would not overpopulate the earth.”

Here, Chief Blood Wolf paused, raising his hands to the sky. Each of the onlookers watched his hands, lit by firelight and stretching toward the Great One’s domain. Though it was a child’s story, each of them were quiet and contemplative. After several moments, Chief Blood Wolf looked back to his clan men, raising a finger as though he were teaching them a lesson.

“This is why, when we hunt, we thank these creatures. For their hand in our creation, for their partnership and taking care of the land, for their sacrifice of life.”

“If the Great One made everything so perfect, how is everything now so dark?” Rabid pondered out loud, accidentally.

“Because we were not the first creatures sent down from the sky.” the chief replied, his eyes unreadable and hard. Rabid shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “There was a great war in heaven between the spirits.”

“I have never heard this.” Rabid said, her stomach feeling suddenly tight at the thought.

“Oh yes. There was a darkness banished to the depths of the waters, one that was supposed to stay hidden far below the surface of the deep.” Blood Wolf said, his eyes grew dark, flickering with the fire before them. Rabid suddenly felt as though she could not look away. Stone place a hand on her knee, as if sensing her sudden unease.

“How did it get out?” Rabid asked.

“Have you never heard of the writings of Chothchoba?” he asked. Rabid shook her head, suddenly unable to speak. Blood Wolf closed his eyes, quoting the ancient text.

“Out of the great deep were they called by the wisdom of earth men,

called for the purpose of gaining great power.

Far in the past before Atlantis existed,

men there were who delved into darkness,

using dark magic, calling up beings from the great deep below us,

forth came they into this cycle.

Formless were they of another vibration,

existing unseen by the children of earth-men.

Only through blood could they have formed being.

Only through man could they live in the world.

In the form of man they moved amongst us,

but only to sight were they as men.

Crept they into councils, taking forms that were like unto men.

Slaying by their arts the chiefs of the kingdoms,

taking their form and ruling over man.”

Blood Wolf’s eyes flickered open and speared Rabid to the core. She shivered slightly under his gaze. She was not the only one who shifted uncomfortably as the Chief continued,

“Only by magic could they be discovered.

Only by sound could their faces be seen.

Sought they from the kingdom of shadows

to destroy man and rule in his place.”

The evening was eerily quiet as it waited for the rest of his words, the darkness suddenly feeling much darker.

“But who would call on such creatures.” Rabid said quietly. “And why?”

“Men are foolish and fickle, they crave power and wealth above all else. There are some who would do anything for it.” Blood Wolf growled, shaking his head. “These men forgot we were made of the earth, made to rule. They were twisted by darkness and tricked, leaving their destiny and purpose to try and become like the Great One himself.”

“The dark spirits are the reason for all the darkness in our world. They corrupt men, lie to them, twist good intentions and use it for their own ill.” Stone said softly beside Rabid.

“The Great One gives us all good things.” Chief Blood Wolf said, gazing at Rabid across the fire. “The food we eat, the ground we live on, the rivers we drink from. It is us who choose to reject his gifts or to be grateful for them. It is us who chooses whether to follow the children of shadows or to fight them. This is the Omari way, the way of the warrior that you will have to learn if you are to be one of us.”

Rabid felt herself sit a little straighter. The words made her feel as though maybe she could fight for something noble, honorable—the way of the warrior sounded like a path she had wandered onto blindly as a young child. Something small seemed to flicker to life inside of her.

“Look at her eyes.” Black Bird said, studying her intently. “Maybe she can be an Omari!” Black Bird laughed to himself.

“She cannot.” Akecheta said, his deep voice boomed loud and threatening, cutting off the laughter. Everyone fell silent. His eyes flickered with firelight, intense and menacing, as he stared at Rabid.

“That’s enough.” Stone bristled at his glare.

“Omari people are warrior people. Fighters, defenders. What Napua can join a cause they don’t believe in? Would she fight, die, take life, for a people who are not her own?” Akecheta continued. Rabid could no longer hold his gaze, and instead looked at her hands.

“Her name is Rabid.” Stone interjected, his own body tensing slightly, meeting Akecheta’s intensity with his own. “With a name like that, she does not belong to the Napua.”

Akecheta scoffed.

“You are born Omari or you are not. You cannot learn a warrior spirit.”

Stone leaned forward, his voice dropped low like a growl.

“You of all people should understand the gift of becoming an Omari. Yet, you would keep it from another?”

“She does not belong with us.” Akecheta responded, but his intensity wavered slightly.

“Enough.” Chief Blood Wolf cut both men off. “She is with us, now.”

Stone leaned back against his skins and Akecheta glared once more at Rabid before turning away toward his bed. The thick silence that followed made Rabid squirm. A familiar feeling was settling around them, one that she had felt her entire life. No tribe, no family: only distrust. She was alone here, just like she had been in her own home. Trying to avoid the eyes that felt like they pierced her skin, Rabid moved away from the fire and lay down on her skins.

The camp remained silent for the rest of the night. As the quiet sounds of the forest began to fill the void of voices, they each seemed to become aware of how tired they were. One by one, the men found their way to their own sleeping skins. Only Stone remained where he was, staring blankly at the flames before him. The cool air felt as though it was draining the energy from Rabid’s bones, so she snuggled under the thick skins for warmth. Within a few moments, the night had come fully and the half-moon had risen above their dying firelight. She found herself thinking of her parents. What were they thinking, lying in their own bed, with the vacancy of her body?

Her thoughts were sent hurdling away from her as Stone moved to lie down next to her. They locked eyes in the darkness.

“It will be a cold night.” He whispered, as he slid under the furs next to her. But warmth was not the only reason he was forced into her bed. Rabid tensed as she felt his thick body beside her. He crossed his arms across his chest and lay on his back, staring up at the night sky. Rabid turned over, trying to avoid his elbow in her shoulder.

Exhausted as she was, the fatigue in her bones did nothing to calm the thoughts running rampant in her mind. The fire burned down and the moon had moved high in night sky, and still Rabid lay awake, listening intently to Stone’s breathing. She turned over, examining the side of his face in the dim light. She traced the line of his nose and chin, the soft movements of his chest rising and falling. His breath created tiny tendrils like smoke in the cool air. Around them, soft snores drifted into the night sky.

“Stone?” she whispered as softly as she could. His eyes flicked open immediately, but he did not respond.

“Where did you go last night?” she turned toward him so her breath tickled his ear. She was close enough to smell him: Forest, fire, and something else deep and musky. Stone turned to look at her, his nose only a finger’s width from her own. His breath warmed her cheek, and something else deep inside her.

“I slept in the forest.” He whispered. “I… do not want you to fear me.”

She lay examining him in the dark, as his eyes traced her own face. The darkness of the night emboldening her, she looked at the curves of his cheeks, noticing the moon reflecting in his eyes. For the first time, the knots of unease inside her seemed to fade slightly.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Rabid whispered, and it was true. The dread had finally left her: now, there was only excitement flooding her veins. She noticed his mouth curve slightly. Neither of them moved, they simply breathed in each other’s breath and watched each other. Rabid chewed her lip slightly, but chanced her question despite her embarrassment.

“What did you mean, my life is my own?” the darkness felt like a safety blanket around them, where she was less embarrassed and childish. It was as if the night was a cloak protecting her from his judgement.

Rabid shivered as a breeze blew the fire’s warmth away from them. She tried to slide deeper into the skins, but when she touched Stone’s body she trembled from something other than cold. Stone noticed.

“Turn over.” He whispered. She obeyed, and he pulled her back into his stomach. He wrapped his huge arms around her like a hug. Her head tucked underneath his chin. Though the cold subsided, Rabid found herself still shivering inside.

“You are with me now.” Stone finally answered. “In the eyes of our tribes you… belong to me. And I will protect that, and you. But, I give you your own life.” His jaw clenched, ever so slightly.

At his words, something inside Rabid began to churn that she didn’t understand. She felt confusion, and something else, welling up inside her. It forced her to pull herself from the comfort of his arms and she found herself sitting up and shivering in the cold night air. Stone sat up, confused and watching her. Anger suddenly filled Rabid, from somewhere deep inside of her. It came with such intensity, she knew that Stone would be the undeserving recipient of it.

“My life is not yours to give.” She spat through clenched teeth.

“What?” Stone whispered.

“I don’t care what our tribes think. I do not belong to you. You don’t get to give me a life.”

Stone’s fingers dug into her shoulder as he forced her to look at him.

“I was trying to be kind to you.” He said, his voice dangerously quiet. He glanced around the campsite to make sure no one heard him. “You’re not the only one who gave something up for this union. Would you prefer that I take you? Force you to be with me?”

Rabid’s body went rigid, and unwelcome tears bursting from her eyes. Stone’s eyes widened, the sight of her tears making Stone’s stomach drop.

“I wouldn’t do that.” He said softly, attempting to undo the damage he’d done. He slid around in front of her so he could look her in the eye. Rabid pulled back from his hands and wrapped her arms around herself. Wiping the tears angrily from her eyes. Stone sat patiently until her anger turned to dejection, and her shoulders slumped.

“Rabid.” he said, forcing her to look at him. “I would never do that.”

Somewhere, deep down, she believed him, though she didn’t know why. His eyes were honest, piercing her with such intensity it made her shiver. She blinked and nodded. Then, she asked quietly,

“What kind of life will this be for you? A wife who is… not a wife?”

“I don’t know.” Stone shrugged. “I didn’t expect you to marry me unless you wanted to.”

“So, you’re a prisoner then, too.” Rabid said dejectedly. Stone sighed quietly.

“We are all prisoners of something, are we not? At least in this, we can choose how we want to live it out.”

“How then should we live this?” Rabid asked, her brow furrowing as she studied him. They sat for several long minutes as their breath created tendrils of smoke that rose away into the night.

“I can’t promise you to have all the answers, Rabid.” he said, sighing softly and shaking his head. “But I can promise I mean you no harm.”

Rabid sighed and closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her cheek. She let out a shaky breath and met his steady gaze. His thumb wiped the wetness from her cheek.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered. His brow furrowed and he slid back behind her.

“It’s been a long day. Let’s just get some rest, okay?” he said, tucking his arms around her again and pulling her back into the warmth of their shared skins. Rabid lay for awhile awake, staring into the darkness. Finally, her exhaustion outgrew her discomfort and she fell asleep.