by Pj Belanger
used to be. The beasts knew them. Moira let out a squeak. The stable hand was also their feeder.
“Telli, take Moira down to the stables. Don’t put her in her stall; put her in the next barn. Let’s give her nothing to remind her of Lt. Haell. Let’s not upset his lobo.”
“Larson, go with him, help where you can.” The Private nodded following Telli but keeping his distance.
“Captain, can you come with me?” It was an order but nicely said.
“It’s Lieutenant now, Sir. I’m stationed at Camp Bolk,” Omomo was glad she had long legs, the general walked briskly to a brick building not far away. She looked around the flying squad’s camp. It was similar to her own flying squad’s encampment. Not my camp anymore, she thought sadly.
In his large well-furnished office, he had java brought in by an aide carrying a tray. The hot black drink tasted so good. It wasn’t something Camp Bolk served. While Lio was sipping her java another soldier entered.
“This is Captain Larrie Kinsmen, she’s head of Haell’s flying team. Larrie this is Lt. Lio Omomo.”
“Weren’t you with the Red Wings?” Kinsmen took the chair next to her. She could have been Lio’s twin; tall, muscular arms, long legged. The Captain even had a scar that ran down her entire neck but it started at her mouth. She would have been nice looking except for that.
The general explained about Moira. Kinsmen looked strangely at Lio. “Moira is high strung and completely devoted to Haell. How did you get her to follow you?”
“I’m not sure, Captain, but perhaps because of my own lobo’s death, Moira felt a kindred soul. Who knows?”
“Have you tried flying her?” the Captain asked. “Would you?”
“NO and NO.” Lio answered her forcefully. “Let me tell you Captain, I hope you never lose your lobo, it is very painful.”
Both the General and the Captain went silent as just the thought overwhelmed them.
“Well, thanks Lt. Omomo for bringing Moira back. We will euthanize her humanely,” the General assured her.
“Do you really deem that necessary? After all, you let me live.” Lio couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “The lobo seems adjusted.”
“We have no use for a non-flyable beast. It’s regulations!” he bluntly told her, leaving no doubt that he wouldn’t listen to her.
After leaving the General’s office, Lio trudged down to the two barns. The camp had almost an exact layout of her former flying headquarters. There were no lobos in the outdoor pens. As she walked into the first barn she understood why, the lobos were being fed. The stable hands were busy giving out their ration of oats and hay. Their riders were probably at the mess hall.
Moira wasn’t in the first barn. As she entered the second barn she heard the beast yelling for her. “Yark, yark, yark,” the lobo barked. It had smelled the former rider when she had entered.
“Hello, Moira,” she stroked the lobo’s snout. Lio had grabbed an apple in one of the buckets. The lobo gobbled it up.
“Is that Jim’s?” came from behind her. She turned to see a muscular dark haired man who had an enormous male lobo on a leash behind him.
“Yes, it is,” she turned to talk to him as the rider opened the empty stall next to Moira’s. “I’m Lio Omomo, who are you?”
“I’m Jack Talman,” he shooed his lobo into its stall. “Where’d you find Jim?”
“Near the Cicot River, he’d been shot with a native’s arrow.” She saw the surprise look on his face.
“That’s unheard of, the natives aren’t violent, especially toward riders,” Talman told her. “Something’s wrong.” The White Wing rider looked at her strangely, “Aren’t you from the Red Wings? Are you the one that lost your lobo? That must be hard.”
“Yes,” was all she answered.
“How did you get Moira here?” He approached the lobo who immediately screeched at him, jaws opened. “She’s protecting you. Have you bonded with her?” His voice was full of skepticism, his next words showed it, “that’s impossible.”
“I’m not bonding with her!” her voice was rather forceful, “I’ll not go through that again!”
He looked rather shocked at her vehemence but didn’t get to comment as Captain Kinsman was marching down to them. “Talman, you’re late again.”
Both Lio and Talman saluted. “I called in,” he dryly remarked, leaving no doubt the Captain was not one of his favorites.
“I told you to stay out of the village. Now I hear you were there again. Do you realize you could have gotten yourself killed and your mount also?”
“They may have killed me but surely you know the lobos are revered. The only lobo killed was by one of our own soldiers.”
Lio winced; he was talking about her own experience. Of course he was right but she felt her chest constrict at the memory. Neither of them noticed as they were in a heated debate.
“I need to get to the root of this. Some guy calling himself a King is stirring up the natives and he’s giving them titianum arrows and explosives,” Talman excitedly informed his superior officer.
“It isn’t our concern. We are here as an auxiliary aid to the foot soldiers. I just saw our new orders. The natives will be moved in two days, by force if necessary. They’ll go or get killed!”
Both Lio and Talman looked shocked. It was Lio that spoke, “That’s murder, Captain. These natives are being moved from lands they have lived on for centuries. They have been going peacefully despite the injustice of it. Something is wrong!”
“It’s not your concern, Lt. Omomo, you need to get back to your squadron.” As the captain was talking Moira started squealing, rubbing its neck on Lio’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about Moira, Lieutenant. I have already contacted the vet, he’s good.”
In other words, she was going to be put to death. “Listen Captain Kinsman, you should try and get her a new rider, she obviously has responded to me.”
“Please, you know as well as I do that’s impossible.” The captain shook her head, “I talked to your Captain Allen, obviously you are still reeling from you own bad experience. Get back to you squadron and forget it!” With that said, Kinsman turned and retreated out of the barn.
“Shit.” Lio touched Moira’s snout. “Sorry girl.”
Talman was leaning against the stall’s door, “Damn, they can’t just kill all those natives! No one could tell me who this King was but the damn Chief knows. He’s in Stousa. It is where they’ve been passing out the arrows. Where’s he getting them from? I have no way of getting into Stousa. I’m friendly with the local village and even then they yelled at me today. Some of the villagers called us ‘killers’.
“Yes, Sonis, they call us,” she answered him.
“You speak the language?” he asked.
“Yes, I gather you do too,” she answered him. “I know what he looks like, the Chief.” Talman looked strangely at her. She explained further, “I lived here as a child. My father would take me to Stousa. Although the Chief is older, it’s the same one. He’s fat, is the only one allowed to wear long fancy beads on his neck and tall feathers on his head.”
“Are you saying he’d be easy to spot?” Talman asked.
“Probably. At sunset he will be at evening prayers with the priests in the center of Stousa.” Lio remembered the ritual well. Even as a ten year old the pomp of the ceremony had stuck in her memories.
“I can’t grab the fat bastard alone. Stolla,” he pointed to his lobo, “is big but he can’t drag a heavy man by himself. I need help and no one around here would take the chance. It would mean a court martial if I get caught.”
Lio leaned against Moira’s stall. She could feel the hot breath of the beast. Hundreds would be killed in two days when the ‘relocation’ starts. She hit her head against the heavy stall door. Damn! “I’ll go with you. How are your roping skills?” she half laughed, “I haven’t used a lasso hook since training camp.”
“You think Moira will take you?” Talman nodded at the lobo.
Larson came out of the shadows. “I’ve got them, ma’am.” The Private approached her with a bridle and a blanket saddle.” It’ll be nice to see you back in the air, Captain.” The private turned to Moira, “I’m sorry, girl. I misjudged you.” He threw the lobo an apple and got a loud squawk as the beast gobbled it up.
Moira let Lio put the soft bridle over its snout and the animal didn’t flinch when the clinging blanket went on the back. The former Red Wing rider led the lobo out back. The lieutenant saw no one around.
“They are at supper,” Talman commented. “Let’s hurry.” He jumped on his steed and pranced around waiting for her. “Need a riding ladder?”
She shook her head, no. Lt. Omomo’s heart was pounding. Lio wished she had her own riding gear but she’d have to make do. She sprang up on Moira and was immediately thrown off as the lobo bucked using its two legs.
Lio got up off the ground. She saw the look of disappointment in Talman’s eyes. Acting like the former Captain Omomo, the former Red Wing rider, walked around to the front of Moira. The soldier grabbed the lobo’s head forcing the red eyes to look at her. “This is do or die, my girl,” she told the beast, “you’ll die and I’ll probably go with you. Choose me or death!” The connection with the animal suddenly was made as Lio felt in her mind Moira’s acceptance. Lio Omomo suddenly felt whole again. The lobo screeched.
Again Lio jumped up, placing herself