Rust and Water: Part Fourteen - Iron Wolf

Part 14: Iron Wolf --- Doredo took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze before releasing it. “If you happen to find what you’re looking for…come back and find us. Mayhap we’ll be of a mind to see it for ourselves, blue girl.” --- Alia stood. She stood and she looked down at the ruins of the village that had sheltered her for the long months between autumn and spring that first year she’d awoken. “Are you sure?” Optimus-9 asked. Toby, who had been hovering over her shoulder, glanced at her before giving the answer they both knew and wished they didn’t. “Yes.” Alia couldn’t reply. Memories flashed through her head of a tow-headed girl with beautiful red curls. Memories of the hunter who first showed her how to properly hold a bow. Kind words in a dark place, warm meals on a cold night. Company and laughter in the midst of fear and uncertainty. All gone now. Her feet carried her down the hill, the worn path now choked with weeds and stones carried with the rains. She did not look back at the two Risen she had convinced to accompany her on this journey. Mali would have been in her twenties now, Alia thought. She would have been a strong woman, a fighter. Perhaps she had been able to escape. Charred timbers cracked and fell under the weight of the recent rainfall. The smell of smoke and char was old but still present. She could still point out what remained of the villagers’ houses, turn and point her finger at each one and rattle off the names of the occupants. How long ago did this happen? She wondered as she stopped in the middle of the village square, turning slowly to look at the devastation that surrounded her. Toby flew from her shoulder and started to scan, obviously wondering the same thing. “Was it the Fallen, you think?” Varsus, the Risen who had followed on silent feet wondered, crouching to poke at some of the fallen timbers. The other shook his head, walking over to look at the generator half-buried in the side of the collapsed building. “Not likely. They wouldn’t have left tech like this lying around.” He flipped up the side of the rust spotted apparatus and rummaged around the inner workings. “Still in working condition, too.” Optimus-9 shook his head again and released the panel. It fell back into place with a too-loud clang. He hunched his shoulders. “Sorry.” Varsus straightened, dusting off his hands. The two looked to Alia. After her first slow turn she hadn’t moved except to follow the movements of her ghost with her helmeted head. “Think any of ‘em got away? Varsus asked. Optimus-9 shrugged, raising his hands helplessly before pausing and slowly shaking his head. “Anything, Toby?” Alia finally spoke, her voice low and husky. Her ghost had been hovering over one spot for several seconds. He turned slightly before returning to his scan, giving no answer. Alia snapped into motion, striding over to her Ghost, her cloak billowing behind her. “What did you find?” She demanded before stopping short. A long moment passed before she moved again, kneeling and brushing the wet ash away from something on the ground. Toby bobbed a short distance away. She didn’t acknowledge him, her hands stroking away the soot. What emerged was a fire-hardened shaft of wood, a skeletal hand falling away as she lifted it. She knew this bow. --- “I make a mark for each year we survive, a little carving, or ‘n emblem. Somethin’ to say we’ve made it another one.” Strong, scarred hands wielded the wickedly sharp hunting knife with skilled motions, scraping away the barest layer from the woods exterior. “By the time it’s carved enough to be useless I figure I’ll be too old to use it anyway.” The knife’s edge glinted in the uncertain light. “Helps to pass the time on cold nights like these.” He gave her a sidelong look with his dark eyes and a little smile crossed his hard, seamed face. --- She traced over the ash-darkened carvings, finding a certain one, the one he had carved that winter. Only five more marked their way down the charred shaft. “Five years.” She murmured. “My scans say the same.” “We should scout around for a while.” Optimus-9 spoke up. “See if there’re signs of a Warlord or Fallen in the vicinity.” Alia carefully set the bow back down beside the bones of its owner. He would have fought to his last breath for these people, his hard surface hiding the kindest heart. She doubted many of the villagers had known. She had known. She reached down and tore a small piece of fabric that had survived away from the hood covering Doredo’s staring skull. She held it in her hand for a long moment before tucking it inside her chestpiece. “Any sign of the others?” She asked. “Could anyone have escaped?” “It’s possible.” Toby said, unable to keep the doubt out of his electronic voice. “Or they could have been taken.” She whirled to face the others. “There are some places in the area where someone could have holed up for at least a while. We’ll check there first.” “And if we don’t find anything?” Varsus asked. “Then we go hunting for Fallen, or a Warlord.” She said, her voice cold. Optimus-9 nodded, while Varsus adjusted the lay of his hood. “I just signed up for an escort mission, not a hunt.” He protested mildly. Optimus-9 stared at him. “I’m just saying, do you really think we’re prepared for this?” “If we weren’t prepared we wouldn’t have taken up Radegast’s banner.” Optimus-9 told him coldly. Alia tilted her helmet at him in wordless thanks for his support. “Either come with us or return to the Temple and let the Iron Lords know what’s going on.” She said, her tone scathing. “But I know this Iron Wolf is ready for the hunt.” --- Part Fifteen: https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/229367029/0/0 Table of Contents: https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/226526566/0/0