Page 32 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)

T’Rak

I wake up cold and alone. Somehow, in the short amount of time I’ve known Fr’Ya, she has made her way into my heart, and even though I am used to sleeping alone, I still feel cold without her.

I look at my scans while I eat some of the travel rations. There is not much left, but I do not have time to hunt or forage for food. I can do with less for a while.

My scans show the feline creatures again, but this time, I can make out another heat signature, hidden behind one of the felines. Could it be—Fr’Ya? There is no time to waste, and quickly, I break down the tent, executing one more scan before I leave camp.

The scans are different now. In the past minutes, they have split up, and I register another life form. This one is cold-blooded, which can only mean one thing: Sternotheri.

I do not think. I move. Running through the foliage, jumping across fallen trees. I am not far from where I saw them, but when I get there, I only find silence .

Branches are broken, bushes are crushed, and the entire site reeks of Sternotheri.

There is no other explanation possible; the High Commander has my mate. My entire being roars, but I force my emotions down. I make myself find my calm. I am one of the best trackers of our force. I will find him and make him pay.

It does not take me long to find his trail. He did not even try to mask where he was going, which makes me wary of traps, and I tread carefully. It may cost me some time, but I cannot help my mate if I am injured or dead.

I keep my wrist com scanning continuously, I want nothing left to change. They move steadily, which alarms me. If he is carrying Fr’Ya, something must be wrong; she would never let him touch her willingly.

A whining sound gets me out of my musings, and I spot one of the felines my scan picked up earlier. This kind always mates in pairs, so the other must be nearby. I proceed on high alert, but they leave me behind and strangely walk the same path as I do.

My scans show I am gaining territory. In my mind, I already have my mate back in my arms, standing above the dead body of the High Commander. I will gladly spill his blood.

A loud grumbling ahead of me shakes me from my thoughts. Nature is roaring its head, and I quicken my pace. It's time to end this.

I turn a corner and abruptly stop. I am standing in front of a cliff, a squeaky bridge in front of me.

I spot the High Commander at the other end and stare when he turns around, my mate on his shoulders.

His eyes light up, and he spots a feral grin when he sees me.

I rush forward, but he dumps Fr’Ya on the ground and starts shooting at me.

I jump back, searching for the cover of the Jungle.

I am no good to my mate if I am dead or injured, I repeat to myself.

Powerless, I see how he destroys the bridge, and his maniacal laughter carries across the gap. There is nothing I can do as he disappears into the jungle with my mate.

My wrist com beeps with an incoming transmission.

It is still a long distance, but it feels so good to hear O’Rec’s voice in this moment of despair.

He tells me all went well with the refugees, and they are close.

They will probably get to Tekrov in a day, and I should keep them updated with my location.

I reply with my current location, before I pull up the scans I made on the ship and compare them with the ones my wrist com makes.

Fr’Ya and the High Commander are rapidly disappearing from my range, but when I look at the scans from the ship I discover a small village, only hours away from our current location. That must be where they are going. I will find another path and burn it to the ground to get to my mate.

First, I follow the canyon, the path taking me downhill fast. I still need to cross a fast river, but stones line the water, and I use them as leverage to get across.

I am soaked and cold when I get to the other side, but it does not really register.

The cats join me, and it fills me with curiosity. What are they looking for?

Checking my wrist com, I decide to make my way to the settlement instead of wasting time and try to catch the High Commander on his trip. Before I go, I take a moment to send O’Rec a message. I send him the coordinates of the settlement and my plotted course. Then I am off; time to get my mate.

Hacking through the jungle, I use one of my knives to cut the vines and leaves in front of me, making my way through the dense vegetation.

The trek takes me the entire day and leads me through ravines and across small crevices, before I finally arrive on top of a cliff next to the menacing black ocean.

According to my scans, the settlement should be around here somewhere. The cliff is steep, and the foliage makes it hard to see what lies beneath. It would be a perfect place for a secret settlement, come to think about it.

After a thorough exploration, I conclude that the way back down lies elsewhere, and I make my way back, searching for a path down in the meantime.

A mewling sound hits my ears and piques my interest. Could that be one of the felines from before?

Those cats mate for life, and the tale goes that they form a special bond, which can be extended to other sentient creatures, in extraordinary circumstances.

The way they respond to Fr’Ya hints at extraordinary circumstances.

My people have always believed in faith and intuition, and they trust them. My gut tells me I should follow the felines; they will guide me towards my Zarra.

Carefully, I hack through the branches, and there is indeed a small ledge on the side of the mountain. It is narrow and the wind whirls, but I am T’Rak of Arracate. I have conquered so many challenges in my life; I shall conquer this one as well.

I hear Fr’ya snort in my mind, and I step on the ledge with a smile.

Two minutes later, I am beginning to doubt my cockiness.

The ledge keeps getting smaller, and I have to shuffle with my feet sideways now.

I use both hands and my tail to keep me from falling.

I round a corner, and the wind picks up, making the descent even harder.

It is still a long way down, and the dark sea swirls beneath me.

Focussing on my breathing, I shuffle onwards, the mewling sounds of the felines keep getting closer, so I turn my attention to them and shut out everything else.

Then, I encounter a wall. Cursing, I look around and when I look up, I see the feline’s head looking down at me from a platform just above my head. Grinning, I reach out, firmly grasping the rim and pulling myself up.

The platform opens to a large clearing, and both felines nudge me further. First, I check my scans, and it looks like the settlement is just around the corner. Not a minute too soon, because darkness is falling.

I follow the path the clearing takes, and when I pass the curve of the cliff, I see a small primitive settlement in front of me.

However, I am right in front of it and quickly duck into the woods on my left.

I stay low to the ground and let my wrist com do a scan, while I try to comprehend what is in front of me.

A wooden fence, made entirely out of big stakes, lines a corner of the clearing, which is way bigger than it appeared to be at first. Behind the fence, I see rooftops made of natural materials. It looks like a primitive village, but to my records, Tekrov does not have native inhabitants.

My wrist com beeps at the same time the gates open, and I hear laughter coming through.

The wind blows my way, and for a moment, I am stunned.

The foul stench of Sternotheri, combined with the sound of laughter and the sight of playing children, greets me.

The children are accompanied by a couple of females, who look warily and shush the children.

They do not care, and they run away, though, towards a spot in the clearing I cannot make out from here.

This gives me the opportunity to see the village, and there is a lot of activity to be spotted. All I see are females and children, and my heart stops. I guess the High Commander had another secret hiding place…