The Wolf, the Butterfly, and the Kraken

Chapter 29

Joann
I was so mad I could spit. We had only just arrived in Centris after traveling so long, and now we were being sent all the way back to where we began. Vam tried to keep things positive by saying, "At least we are not walking there."
And I felt so guilty. We had left the baby with my father. We had never left Oshie with anyone before. What if he cried? What if he refused to eat? What if something happened that father wasn't ready for? Like that growth spurt. Or Oarhu showing himself in some way.
Vam was able to take my mind off of the baby with one question. "What are we going to do to present ourselves in such a way so as not to seem like traitors to our people?"
And that one question carried us for the next three days, until we arrived at the Southern camp. When the lifter landed we did not wait for our escort to the command tents, but got out with calm and purpose in our stride, holding hands. I only had to ask one soldier which way to the command tent. After one glance at us he told us which way to go.
Plenty of hard, but also curious looks, followed us through camp, but no one stopped us. We were not surrounded by soldiers. Vam was not harmed. There were two guards outside the command tent, and they had us wait.
Three men eventually exited. Vam perked up at seeing one of them. "Are you the father of Alden Harris?"
The man stopped and carefully appraised Vam.
I explained, "We met your family on our way North with Kane Ristora. Well, actually I have known Franny since we were kids, but we stopped at your plantation."
Vam nodded, "Your daughter is a sweet child. Alden is going to be a good man, with honor. Your wife is, " he searched for the right words for a moment before saying, "strong willed."
The man broke into a smile so much like Alden's before laughing a bit, and nodding, "Yes, yes she is. And how did you come to meet them?"
Vam said, "I will find you later, and we will discuss what funny thing your boy did, and also what manly things he did. You should be very proud."
The man was conflicted. He was an elite Lycant fighter. Speaking to one might seem to be traitorous. However, the man was starved for news of his family.
I added, "We can discuss it over a cup of mint tea, along with our assignment. I have a feeling we will be working closely with your team, since you are the most knowledgeable about the motions of the raiders."
At this all three soldiers proudly nodded, and one said simply, "We will look forward to meeting you. Did your father tell you where we meet?"
Vam said, "The knoll. We look forward to speaking to you. For now we must meet with others. Good day, and happy hunting." They left, a bit unsure how to feel about Vam, but curious. We entered the tent.

Kane
The first couple of days were hard, but we fell into a routine, and Oshie won every man over in no time flat. He woke in the bunk with me, helped make the bed in his own fashion by patting the covers I pulled straight. We got dressed after washing up, ate breakfast, reported for duty, and headed through the streets and up to the manor of Lord Eureces.
One tutor a day would come, usually in the afternoon. They worked on breathing techniques, and simple controls of water formation. I thought he did marvelously considering he was a baby. At the end of tutoring we would start the long trek down to the barracks. We always earned plenty of strange looks along the way.
Once we were at the fort I would check in with my Lieutenant, we would eat, and then it was time to practice outside. This made him very excited. He loved to watch. Occasionally he would grab a stick and clumsily swing it, imitating me. When we marched he tried to stand at the end of the row I was in, and march along. It was more a clumsy run, but it was adorable. Every single man was past exhausted, but would smile at him, and pat his little head. At bedtime I would tell him a story before we both fell soundly asleep so we could do it all over the next day.
He would sometimes cry for his momma and daddy, forming their faces in water. I wished to the heavens above that I could tell him when they were coming home, but I didn't know. Further, they were going into the most dangerous place in the world, and in my moments without him I worried for my daughter. What had she gotten herself into? All I could do was pray for their safe return.
One day I finally got a day off. We were going to have fun. We went to the market, where he got many unhappy stares, but we got to watch a puppet show, and have some sweets. Then we went fishing. I set a pole up for him, and threw the line into the river. We didn't catch much at first. Then a guy a bit down from us caught a fish, and he suddenly knew why we were holding onto this stick. He got a tug on his line, and I helped him reel in his first fish. He was so excited, and proud of himself. We set the fish on a string, and he caught two more in quick succession. I had a sneaking suspicion that Oarhu might have been helping him, but said nothing except, "Well then, let's see if Chef Sandra can't cook this up for us."
Oshies tail wagged. He liked Chef Sandra. She always had a spare roll or pastry set aside for him. She would make an excuse here or there about how the roll was crispier than the rest, or she had done a bad job on the frosting. Honestly, we all knew she was just a nice lady.
We passed a market on the way up, and I asked Oshie, "What do you think we should get her for cooking our fish?" He toddled to a stand with simple bead necklaces, and grabbed for one. The merchant wasn't pleased and had sharp words, but I reassured him we were paying for it. Oshie held the necklace in one little grey furred hand, cooing happily. A few stalls over there were flowers, and I got a small bouquet, thinking she would enjoy them.
On our way up the hill to the clifftop we encountered Rey and a groom leading a team of horses up to the manor. They were huge, black, and high stepping, gorgeous horses. Rey stopped them, "And what are two up to?"
"Oshie caught his first fish, and we saw a puppet show today."
Rey smiled, "You two want a lift to the house?"
Who could resist that? Oshie and I sat on the foremost of 6 horses. He was a good horse. Oshie clapped and squealed all the way to the manor. I thanked Rey and invited him to join us for some fish. He declined, saying he had too much work to do today.
We entered the kitchen after dusting off and wiping our feet well. Chef Sandra was chopping vegetables, and talking to Tarlson, who had noticed us. "So she will be eating at 7 in her quarters? And what about the staff?"
Tarlson smiled a tiny bit, seeing the flowers in my hand. He sighed sadly, "We won't be able to join you tonight. We have so much to do."
She still hadn't seen us, but said, "I guess that just leaves the grounds staff then."
I spoke, "Actually, Rey was just telling me they would be late tonight as well." I held up the string of fish, "But if you would like to join us for some fresh caught fish we would be honored to join you for dinner."
She blushed, and looked like she lost her tongue for a moment. I knew she liked me, or at least my looks. The uniform of a Host soldier sometimes did crazy things to women. She nodded, and cleared her throat as Tarlson made his exit. "What kind of fish do you have there?"
Oshie toddled up and gave her the necklace. She was stunned, "For me? Thank you." He grinned and wagged his little tail as she put it on. I gave her the flowers, and she put them in a vase.
No one entered the kitchen the entire time Oshie and I had dinner with Sandra. She was a fun, sweet lady. Her cooking was second to none too. We talked for a while and time slipped away from us. Oshie was nodding off in her lap when I realized it was getting late.
She thanked me for having dinner with her. It was my turn to blush. "No, thank you. It has been ages since I've been in the company of such a wonderful lady." I grinned a bit, "And let's face it, you did a better job with your soup than I did our fish."
She laughed, "Your fish was fine. Thank you."
I went to collect my sleepy grandson, and gave her a peck on the cheek, "Good night Sandra. Maybe someday you can have dinner out with me?" What was I thinking? This wasn't the time to be courting a ladies favor. But then she smiled and nodded, and I was taken. On the way back to the barracks the air seemed fresher, the moonlight brighter. My dreams were nicer.