The Joys of Pregnancy

A Few Steps Back In Time

I steped into the bright, dry, cool, clean room. It is a big room, but felt small because of how much is stored in it. Maniquins that held cloths and armor from the past stood in neat rows across the floor. Every single wall had shelves on or against it and each shelf was full of seemingly random things, but each held meaning to me. On one wall the shelves were nearly overflowing with books, scrolls, letters, and jurnals. Some of the more fragile objects sat in locked display cases with a much more controlled environment. Larger objects either sat on the floor or hung from the celing.

I walked amongs all these things, only here to remember.

I picked up a old arrow head, tip slightly broken off, and remembered.

I opened my blurry eyes when I felt someone scoop me up. I was jostled around for a moment before strong arms firmly wraped around my small body. Next to me I saw Kanata equally as confused. On his other side was another of our siblings, but I couldn't make out who in the pitch black darkness of the night. I looked up to see Veve looking around the area, keeping an eye out as our other brothers and sisters rushed to gather our things and the rest of the smaller siblings. From the distance I could pick up on the shouts and war cries of a larg group. It was then that I knew what was heppening.

It was an ambush!

I looked at my sister again, fear plain as day on my face. She gave me a look that I knew ment for me to keep quiet. I held in a whimper and buried my face in the crook of her neck. Being quiet right now was the best thing I could do.

"Vivika, we're ready to move out." One of my sisters whispered to her.

"Three minutes, that is way too long to pack everything." She growled back lowly as we took off through the trees. "We need to find a way to gather everything faster."

"Ve, we have a small patrol of four coming up our left flank. The one behind us is made up of seven, led by her." Thirteen hissed as she reported back her findings.

"Becca, Tex, you two take care of the left flank. Don't bother trying for a kill shot, just make sure you injure." Vivika ordered. "Thirteen, take Dawn and Dusk, run up ahead and start taking down the old dead tree. Set it up so it falls after we cross it's path. We'll slow the back patrol down with it."

I heard them all take off into the woods. Though my hearing wasn't as sharp as my elder siblings I could hear the general area of where each one was. From the left their were loud cries of surpries, fallowed by cries of pain. I tensed up when I heard that one of them belonged to Texa. From up ahead I heard the tell tail signs of the splintering wood of a falling tree. I kept my head buried as it cracked above us, mere inched from the top of Vinelands head, till it crashed to the behind us.

"Ve! Tex's injured." Becca said as they came crashing through the forest from out left. I snuck a look at them to see how bad. Tex was in Beccas arms, her arms wrapped around her mid section. A steady, thick stream of blood flowed from her.

"Fuck. Just keep a hold of her. We'll get to the river soon enough." Ve said as we slid down a steep slope.

"Ve! Duck!" Thirteen called out, but it was too late. I heard the wizz of an arow a second before it shot through her shoulder and into mine. I stiffled a scream into her shirt. "Oh crap! Hold still you two." She said reaching over and breaking the arrow as we ran. She pulled the shaft out of Vivikas shoulder, but when she went for mine I had to stiffle another scream.

"Don't mess with his Thirteen. We'll get it when we get there." Vivika ordered. She looked down at me, seeing big tears roll down my cheeks from the pain. Kanata was trying his hardest to comphert me, but their is onnly so much a five year old can do. "Hey, just continue to keep quiet, okay. You can do this." I nodded my head even as more tears fell down my face.