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WITHIN the last year, raids on RDA supply lines and moon infrastructure became common practice for the Omaticaya. They'd fought fifteen years before with everything they had only for the humans to return in full force. Anything and everything they could do to slow the human's advances on the land was enough to show they would not give up easily, just as they had not in the past.
The day the humans returned, Ruth witnessed the horrific destruction of the forest floor firsthand with Ri'naya at her side. Her daughter hadn't wailed and cried as they helplessly watched, their hunt interrupted. Instead, she'd been silent, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stood at Ruth's side. That had been a year ago.
Ruth was taught enough to survive the battle all those years ago. To make it through alive, at least. Her minimal skills with a bow at the time had to be compensated with a firearm, which saved her life more than a time or two. Before the battle, she'd been fortunate enough to have stumbled upon a bond with a Thanator of all animals she could have found herself lucky enough to survive an encounter with, the animal protecting her fiercely. Even to this day, Onyx did.
There was a raid to be carried out today. After valuable intel was gathered about the RDA railway, Jake organized an assault. She was painted and decorated for war in the same way she had all those years ago, feathers tied into her braided hair and her face covered in black and gold paint.
Ruth clung to Onyx as they raced through the forest alongside direhorses and riders, her panther-like mount swift over the terrain. Through their bond, she could hear his heart pounding, his lungs working hard. Their bond was strong, and over the years, she and Onyx roamed the forest floor without fear. Because the clan relocated to the floating mountains after the RDA returned to Pandora, Onyx had to nest in the forests below. Never too far from his usual location, Ruth was always able to find him for a hunt or a casual ride on the forest floor.
The group of dire horse riders was converging on a contact point on the railway where the RDA Mag-Lev train bearing essential items would pass by, enough to damage Bridgehead and operations for the time being.
Just ahead of her, one of the clan members lifted an RPG launcher, managing to balance himself on his dire horse long enough to aim at the hovering train and fire. The explosion that followed was intense, with heat and sheer force smashing into Ruth and Onyx. The Thanator growled in response to the blast as the group of riders reeled to a stop as they watched the train derail and crash into the soft dirt like a hot knife through butter.
As she rode Onyx with the group toward the wreckage, Ikran riders began to descend toward the spoils. The clan was quick to dig into the containers scattered amongst the random pockets of fire and twisted metal, and Ruth was quick to begin helping direct them. Leaving her Thanator waiting nearby, Ruth made her way over to a heaping pile of tough boxes that would hopefully contain valuable supplies.
