Some time passed from the mission. I had healed completely but Loak was still grounded. And just when I thought things were going well I spotted Loak sneaking off with Tuk, Kiri, and Spider. Frowning I gave them the benefit of the drought. I thought they might just be going to the lake or for a wander. When time drew on and the eclipse drew near I knew where they had gone. Father and Mother were going to be back from their patrol soon. So not wanting to ensure my father's wrath I went after them. It wasn't hard to find them. When our parents when out on patrol it gave them enough time to wander around the battle field. I ran through the tree's for a bit till I spotted them.
Dropping down onto the branch they were running across Tuk gave out a yell of fright. Straighten up I glared at Loak.
"Sylwanin, fancy seeing you here," he said with a chuckle.
"You are still grounded. Father will literally kill you this time," I hissed walking up to him.
"And you brought Tuk here?" I asked turning to Kiri.
"You are all idiots," I said earning a lazy tongue poke from Kiri.
"We're going home, maybe we might get back there before father," I muttered pulling them towards home. Knowing they were in the wrong they followed silently.
"Will you tell on us?" Tuk asked nervously.
"I decide when we get home," I huffed. I wasn't going to tell on them. I never do.
My attention however was grasped by a mud puddle. Well more like what was smooshed into said puddle. Dropping down I crouched to examine it closer.
"What is it?" Kiri asked as Loak and Spider crouched down beside me.
"We're always supposed to be home before eclipse," Tuk said nervously.
"It's way too big for a human," Loak commented.
"Avatar?" I answer with more of a question.
"Mabey, but they're definitely not ours," Loak said as he began to follow the track.
"What are you doing?" Kiri voiced my question as we followed after.
"Shh tracking," he threw the words over his shoulder. Both Kiri and I shared a frustrated look but followed after him anyway.
We crept silently through the brush peeking through it. In the distance there sat an old link pod shack. The main place father forbade us to go. Looking around it were avatar's, fully decked out in military gear.
"We are never supposed to come here," Kiri murmured. "Dad is going to ground you, again," Kiri spoke in a matter-of-fact tone and Loak shushed her.
"Can you stop," he asked.
"For life," she added.
"Bro we have got to check this out," Loak nodded to Spider as they moved forward.
"Skxawng," I muttered reaching out to stop Tuk from following after them, before following them myself. Taking my bow off my back a knocked an arrow before crouching down behind the large log next to the boys.
"Bro," Spider whispered. "That's where your dad and my dad fought," he said. My eyes widened. Father had told us the story of their great battle. This is the place he never wanted us to come to. My ears flattened as an unsettling feeling seeped into my bones.
"That's your dad's actual suit?" Loak asked in aww.
"Holy shit," Spider whispered in realization both of them captivated in aww.
"We need to call this in," I announced turning to Loak who nodded.
"No bro we're gonna get in trouble," Spider whispered.
"You should have thought about that before you came out here," I whispered back pushing him after Loak as we retreated.
"Devil dog, Devil dog this is eagle eye over," Loak pinched his comms that sat around his neck.
"Eagle eye, send your traffic," Father's voice came across our earpieces.
"I got eyes on some guys. They look like avatars. but there in full camo and carrying ARs," Loak listened to their description glancing at me who stood by a tree my bow ready to be drawn at any moment.
"I count six," I whispered my eyes scanning over each an every one of them.
"There's six of them, over" Loak repeated.
"What's you pos, over?" Father asked.
"Um, we're at the old shack," Loak admitted hesitantly.
"Who's we?" Father asked.
"Me, Spider, Nin, Kiri," Loak paused with a regretful sigh. "And Tuk," he added.
"Son you listen to me very carefully. Pull back right now, do not make a sound. Get the hell out of there, move," I hated hearing the urgency and fear in my father's voice. He was the great Toruk Makto. If he was scared he had good reason to be. I wasted no time grabbing Tuk's hand and ushering the others away.
"You're going to be in so much trouble," Kiri whispered to Loak.
"So will you," I hissed over my shoulder.
"Kiri stop," Loak said.
"Come on guys," Spider hurried us.
"It's almost eclipse, come on," Tuk said tugging on my hand. Tuk was glancing back, so I instinctively did so as well. When I turned back around I saw something lung for Tuk. I lunged faster.
I hit a full-grown body that with the force I tacked to the ground. I hadn't seen the other threats. I had just heard Tuk's scared scream. I acted quickly, just like my father had taught me. I rose pulling my dagger from my belt and holding it up ready to plunge it down on the person below me. Before I could a force slammed into my shoulder. A force was so strong that it flung me from the attacker. As soon as my body hit the ground the pain appeared. Searing hot pain spread through my shoulder.
"SYLWANIN!" My siblings screamed in horror.
Father had told me he had been shot twice. The first time he didn't even realize it till someone had pointed it out to him. The second time was similar. Only he collapsed from blood loss. I gasped in pain my hand grasping my wet shoulder. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening I had been rolled over, a knee shoved in between my shoulder blades and my hands bent painfully and unnaturally behind my back.
"Sylwanin!" Looking up I saw all my family members being held by their braids and forced to their knees. All at gunpoint. A threatening hiss left my mouth as I struggled with the woman on top of me.
"Shut up," she demanded pressing the barrel of her gun at the back of my head.
Then he appeared. He smelt of death and power. I had seen a picture of him before. Commander Quarith. Only he wasn't dead.
He was an avatar.
============================================================
============================================================