by Melanie Ray
The male brought the female closer. "It's dangerous out here."
"You won't leave me here, will you?" Zaria asked as he looked at them. "You could save me if you try." He looked over at the boy, "Koko, you're parents wouldn't let anyone get hurt without trying would they?"
"Daddy?" Koko asked the other man. "You're not going to let him get hurt, are you?"
"Sh." his father warned him. "We're taking too much time as it is."
"What a lasting impression." Zaria laid his head down. "Letting someone die right before your boy's eyes. You know, I never even got to see mine. His name was going to be just like mine, and I had a little girl on the way too. Muin's probably had them by now even. Now I guess I'll never-?"
The chances they would actually stop and help were thin, but they did it. Pressing with all their might to pull the wood just a bit more up, Zaria finally crept out.
"Thanks," Zaria said with gratitude. The parents grabbed their son and headed off without another word. Zaria slowly started to limp. Other than a small twist he seemed all right. Okay Muin, I’m coming back, I promise.
Yed motioned for the rest to start coming out again. For now, the waryes' were gone. He saw the small store he was at some time ago to get food for them. "Hello?"
"Is he here?" Xiam asked as he came over. "He charged me a fortune for-?" he looked down and gasped.
Yed ran over and closed Xiam's mouth. He had seen the shopkeeper’s lifeless hand sticking out from behind a destroyed wagon. Seeing Iri's expression as well he quickly covered her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Scentella asked as she came over.
Yed stopped and lead Xiam and Iridescent away. "Nothing," he lied. "You sit here, I'll see if there's any food left."
Xiam and Iridescent were both shaking.
"Xiam?" Muin asked softly as she came over to him. "Are you okay?"
“Dead. I was." Xiam didn't know how to talk well. “I was just walking...I felt something under foot...”
"Nothing," Yed interrupted as he came out. "Let's get going."
Xiam and Iri both stood back up as they followed the group again.
Yed was right, this was not going to be an easy journey.
So far, they had run into a few waryes but they made it out fine. Their luck was okay and they were almost to Grammy Fornotia's place.
When something happened that couldn't be stopped.
"Stop. Stop," Ezra cried out as she fell to her knees.
Yed laid her down. Ezra had made it hard to walk with her contractions for the last couple of hours. "Now's not the time Ezra, just wait half an hour, we're almost there." He tried to pick her up but it was no good.
"I don't have thirty minutes," Ezra screamed as she felt another contraction. "They are coming and they are coming now!"
Yed tried to find a stick for her to bite down on. "Don't scream, everyone will hear you."
Ezra tried not to scream, but it was apparently easier said than done.
"Damn." Yed looked down below the hill. "Do you guys see it?"
Xiam looked down the hill and pointed. "I do, it's the red one right there. Uhhh...twenty? Twenty five minutes maybe?"
Scentella bent down to Ezra. "It's alright, don't worry. Everything's fine."
It's just a matter of time, standing still up on this hill, they are going to find us. He looked over at Xiam. "Xiam, you have got to go without me and Ezra. Head for the house."
Xiam growled. "She can't stay up here."
"You've got to trust me," Yed said, trying to speak calmly back.
"Well, I don't. I don't care how much you help, I remember what you did." Xiam pointed at him.
"Xiam, don't, waryes' will hear your fight!" Iri warned him.
"You've got no choice," Yed said. "Get everyone to safety, I'll be down with Ezra soon."
Xiam looked over at Ezra. He looked back at Muin and Scentella and held onto Iridescent tightly. "Alright, fine, hurry."
Yed watched as everyone headed down the hill. He bent down next to Ezra. "This is so not good." He groaned as he looked at her stomach. "Half an hour, couldn't you two have waited half an hour? There would have been a crib and everything. Oh no no, we just got to make it hard on Yed though." He touched Ezra's head. "You're sweating like you ran a marathon."
Ezra whined through the stick.
Yed stayed beside her. Okay, twins. Ezra's not fit to run either. I can carry the twins and have Ezra lean against me and walk slowly. We'll reach the house in what, an hour?
"Stop!"
Yed watched as three waryes ran toward them. "Sorry Ezra, you've got to get up." Ezra yelled as Yed ran with her. There was no choice, he'd already used up the weapon.
"I can't," Ezra screamed.
"You've got to, just hang on," Yed pleaded with her. Trying to run with a pregnant female in labor was not the easiest job. He headed for a thicket full of trees that would give them more time, but the waryes' were still determined to catch them.
"Yed put me down or they are going to drop!"
Yed knew from her voice, he had no choice. He set Ezra down and looked back. Ezra breathed and moaned as she pushed. Not hearing the waryes' anymore, Yed took a deep breath. He bent down over Ezra. "Whoah!" he said, startled. "Is that a head?" Yed watched as it started to come out faster. "I was not trained for this," he said as he scratched his head.
"Just get it out!" Ezra bellowed.
Yed reached for it, and not knowing what he was doing, pulled it out. He looked in a daze at the crying little warno in his hands. "..." He held it tightly as he looked for something to cut the chord, but there was no time.
Baby two entered the world.
Ezra took a deeply needed breath and laid her head back on the ground.
Yed cut the cords with an sharp stick and held them both tightly. "Ezra, look? They’re here,” he said chuckling. He looked at his son’s hair and tail. "You should see the boy, he’s got my colors." He crawled around to her so she could see their new family. "She looks a lot like you."
Ezra held their daughter’s hand tenderly. Tiny red curls were seen on her head. "Carressela." She then held the little boy's hand. "Tigeravich." She smiled with tears in her eyes. "They're finally here."
"Yep, yep!" Yed laughed, filled with a joy. "We're a family."
Ezra winced as she tried to get up. "I can't get up yet."
"You've got to, more will come Ezra," Yed warned her. He held the newborns tightly in his arms.
"They’re around here, I heard them!"
Yed turned back and heard waryes after them again. He quickly looked at Ezra. "Get up, get up now!"
Ezra stared at him and at her two newborns. "...run."
Yed shook his head. "No, get up!"
"Even if I can, I can't run. I'll slow you down, you know it." Tears filled her eyes. "You can't carry me and them, Yed."
Yed looked at her sadly and then looked at the newborns. She was right.
"Run," Ezra yelled at him. "Yed, run and...and find happiness," she said softly. "Get in the machine and find a better life."
"I don't want to," Yed yelled holding the twins tightly. "...if we got out, I was going to-"
"There's no time, you've got to get out, they're heading this way!" Ezra cried. “Go, please, for them.”
Yed didn't know what else to say. He heard the voices getting closer. "It's not over," he said as he closed his eyes. "I'll get you out one day Ezra, I swear it!" He yelled as he ran. He didn’t dare look back, knowing Ezra’s time was over. They would take her and lock her away, just like his sister and mother.
Xiam knelt down to the ground and closed his eyes. The waryes were too many and he wasn't a fighter like Yed. If warnos weren’t groomed to fight, they just didn’t know how to. Even if he could, waryes were so powerful.
He had watched as Iridescent called out to him as she was driven away in the back of a full waryes vehicle. He spoke not a word as it completely made it's way out of his sight.
Scentella and Muin were
standing in chains, waiting for the next vehicle. Their eyes were turned away from Xiam, which he was glad to see. He didn’t want them watching his execution either.
"Should have turned them over," a waryes warned him. "Colorful hair or not, we've wiped out more than enough of you. If you didn't press me so hard, I would have let you go." He held his weapon up to the back of Xiam's head. "Too bad."
Xiam waited for the inevitable to come, but heard screaming behind him instead. He turned around and saw Yed fighting viciously with the waryes. Other waryes started to come over, but Yed grabbed the waryes weapon and cocked it.
"Don't mess with me. I've no problem killing you right now," Yed said in a dangerous growl. His eyes and stance signified his madness, something had driven over the edge. His look was cold, chilling, and primitive. His voice barely recognizable, a steady growl beneath every word.
The waryes could tell it wasn't worth it. They ran away, leaving Scentella and Muin behind.
Xiam ran over and looked over the hilltop. "Iri..."
Muin walked over to the terrifying looking Yed. "Yed? Iri's in trouble. Yed?"
Yed ignored her and pointed to the house a few feet away. Muin didn't say another word and followed Scentella inside.
"Iri..." Xiam continued to look at the hills.
"Inside," Yed growled at him. "Inside Xiamipoc Vallencio, now!"
"But..." Xiam stared in disbelief again at the hills. "She's..."
"Gone," Yed finished for him. He walked back to the side where he had put Tigeravich and Carressela down. "Get inside."
After picking up the children again, everyone headed into the secret basement. The other had been bigger, this was only 10 by 10, and the old transporter took up three feet of room.
Scentella and Muin watched as Yed and Xiam came inside. They noticed right away the new arrivals and the absence of Ezra. Nothing was said about that.
Scentella headed over to look at the transporter. "It's very old. She still thinks it works?"
Muin looked over at her new niece and nephew Yed was holding tightly. "Tigeravich and Carressella? Are they healthy?"
Yed nodded.
Xiam sat in a corner, apparently coming to terms with what happened.
Scentella went over to another corner and saw the covetall. "Well, the good news is we have a crib," she said pointing next to her.
Muin went over and looked at the covetall. "That's not even enough for one."
"It doesn't matter," Xiam said with a small choke. "He said it didn't matter anymore. We’ve been wiped out."
"Then we've got to use the machine," Scentella said with determination. She looked inside of it. "Oh, there's room for three."
Yed had more words than that for it. It was an original prototype, leaving with its travelers back and forth instead of remaining behind. That hadn’t been heard of in at least two millennia. It was rusted, patches of metal barely showing though. It had a glass covering and appeared more like a car with no wheels than any modern transporter.
Muin made a slight sound of pain. "...okay..." she whined. "Let's go then."
"Muin?" Scentella looked at her daughter. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Muin said in a higher voice as she moaned again. "Never better."
Xiam walked over to her. "I think it's time."
"No it's not," Muin disagreed as she breathed harder and whined more. "I've decided, they aren't coming out."
"Oh, I'm sure that's not a choice anymore." Scentella smiled at her. "Just lay down and breathe."
"I don't want to!" Muin yelled. "They won't be born. Not without..."
Yed strolled over and put his children in the small crib. Enough was enough. He went over to Muin and held her.
"No, quit it!" Muin yelled at him. "Stop it, let me go!"
"Face it!" Yed yelled back at her. "He's gone, Muin. They're all gone. Zaria, Iri, your dad, even Ezraponia." Muin continued to push him away.
Xiam came over and tried to hold her too. "Muin, they have to be born."
As they both helped lay her down Muin whined, "I don't want to..."
In the midst of it all, it was so strange, but Yed smiled at her. She sounded like her young self again. "Even you can't hold them in there forever, Muinela Cattral."
Muin whined again as she sniffled. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."
Like it or not, no matter how hard she fought it...
Zaria and Cooey were born.
"Look, she has a purple tail like me," Xiam said smiling at her, "She has your nose though, and your eyes.”
Muin held the twins close to her. “They didn't listen."
"Of course not, honey." Scentella smiled as she came near them. "Everyone has to be born sometime." She looked over at Yed who was taking his twins out of the crib.
Muin eventually got up with Xiam’s help and placed her twins in the crib. She grabbed the plushy rag doll and wiggled it in front of Cooey. "Jiggle wiggle?" Cooey smiled as Muin set it near her. She leaned on the crib. "Now what?" she said as she looked over at Yed. "You could put yours in at the other end."
Yed shook his head, wanting to keep them near. He looked over at the transporter. It took up most of the room they had. It was rusted in many spots, peaks of gray metal here and there. It resembled more of a car without wheels than a transporter of the times. Inside the glass cover were seats for three.
"Only three," Scentella remarked. "Any ideas?"
"I don't know." Muin tickled Zaria’s chin. "They are way too young to survive in that machine."
"What about the covetall?" Xiam dug into the bag and pulled it out. Leftovers from Grammy Happy’s. "With these, we could look like waryes."
"Great idea except one thing," Scentella said with a sigh, "there's not that much. It’s barely enough to cover the tiny hairs of..." She looked over at both sets of newborns. "...them."
"They'd be safe," Muin commented, "but what about us?"
"The transporter," Scentella said as she pointed. "You, Yed and Xiam should go. I'll stay behind and reach the Grammies. They're old so I doubt anyone has been bugging them."
"You'd be captured," Muin protested.
"Most likely," Scentella admitted. "Everyone's going to be taken eventually. If I could get the newborns to safety when the coast is clear, that is good enough. We brought plenty of baby food, it won't be too hard for one warno to find enough food."
"But," Muin looked at her little warnos, “inhibitors?”
"I know. I promise, the babies will be safe though," Scentella said firmly. "One day, maybe you'll get your senses back and return?"
"No," Yed said as he stared at his twins. "You get in the transporter with Xiam and Muin," Yed said as he looked down at Tigeravich. "I'll make sure they're safe."
"Yed, you're a Protector." Scentella tried to reason with him. "With your cunning and a better future time, maybe you'd come up with something," she said pointing to herself. "I don't think they'll hurt me. At least not right away since they seem to be collecting us. You though, if they catch you everything's over."
"Momma's right, Yed,” Muin agreed. “If you get a clear head again, what if we do come up with something?"
"Give Tigeravich and Carressella some time to get older. Zaria and Cooey too," Xiam recommended. "I mean, it's the reason you-"
"Xiam!" Scentella and Muin both scolded him at the same time.
"I'll make it somehow," Yed said firmly. He looked at his twins. "I won't leave them, they are my family."
"They will be safe, I assure you." Scentella tried to reason with him. "Protector Yed, one day you can come back. You can find your children and you can get Ezra out along with anyone else you want."
Yed glared at a wall. "I couldn't do anything before, what makes you think I can do anything now?"
"I don't know. Hope?" Scentella said smiling. "One day you can return."
Yed stared at the twins. He'd have to find them safety and it wouldn't be with him. If Scentella could get to the Ancients, they'd be fine. No
waryes seemed to care about Ancients for some reason.
"I don't want to leave them," Muin said softly.
"You can come back, one day," Scentella urged her. "It's for the best."
"Yeah if we don’t go insane," Muin said bitterly.
Yed rocked the twins as Caressella started to cry.
"Yed?" Scentella urged him. "There isn't much time, waryes are all over and they know about our hiding spots now."
Yed continued to rock the twins. Ezra told me to go. Told me to find happiness. He looked down at the two newborns in his arms. How can I do that though?
Scentella looked closely at the machine. "There's no location displayer," she said firmly. "Does anyone know any coordinates?"
“54145,” Yed spoke. “It’s the only one I know, I overheard it once. It’s ummm...” What was that planet? “Earth.”
“Earf?” Muin asked. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“Earth,” Yed corrected her. “It’s isolated, they don’t have aliens.”
“Great, we’ll be science experiments,” Xiam moaned.
“No.” Yed waved his tail. “They have two arms, two legs, even hair on their head. They’re big, like six feet, but I think we could blend in.” He looked at his tail. “With one exception.”
“C-cut off our tails?” Muin asked weakly. “No, I can’t do this. I can’t leave the kids, I can’t go to a planet without inhibitors and I can’t cut off my own tail. All of it’s too much!”
“Don’t be scared. Culture wise, they are close to us. Not much magic, like us. Their laws are a little different, but you could learn and function easier than on other planets. Earth will be good,” Yed said and he tried to smile at her. “I think it’ll be a slow process too, you won’t automatically be insane. Slow and steady, losing the inhibitor’s power. You might not even notice it.” He breathed a shaky sigh. “There is a chance, one day, that your minds will realign correctly too, Scentella’s right.” He waved his tail. “When you get to Earth, you’ve got to cut them off though.”