Preparations

I tossed and turned uncomfortably all night. Finally at almost dawn, I gave up sleeping all together. The cold night air created little frosty morning dew droplets all along the grass tips and tree leaves. The night star was starting to fade as the orange and red colors of the sky greeted me to start the new day. As I gazed at the fainting stars, I noticed the brightest star in the sky glistening while others dwindled. It seemed to beam down right at me, so spectacular it was.

Not long afterwards a beautiful shooting star shot out of nowhere, skimming through the sky like a blade slicing the sky in half.

Like a comet, it fell straight downward from above me.

"Jerell! Wake up! We have to move!" I shouted pulling Jerell up.

"What? What's going on?" he asked in a waking stupor.

"The sky! It's dropping down on us. RUN!" I yelled. Jerell looked up at the sky and we both snatched what we could of our belongings and ran up the hillside.

When we finally reached the top of the hill, I was able to take a quick glance of the view. I could see far into the horizon, all the way to the abandoned ship at the coast. I grabbed hold of my bracelet and prayed. "Please keep us all safe from whatever it is falling." As if the bracelet and the broken pendant heard me, the comet veered direction from us to the ship.

We observed the comet as it went down onto the ship and then braced ourselves for what impact there was to come, but there were no explosions, no noise at all. Jerell and I gazed towards the ship puzzled at what we didn't witnessed.

"I don't know what the bloody hell is happening here, but we mustn't get tangled in that mess." Jerell said assertively. "Come, Sereen. We must go now." Jerell reached out his hand to me.

"Wait…" I said, "I would like a moment please."

Where the comet had landed upon a thick sheet of fog now sits. Everything was distorted and hidden from our view. We had no idea what was happening to the men and women on the ship, but I closed my eyes and prayed for their safety. Reluctantly, I turned around and grabbed hold of Jerell's hand and we continued our journey north.

*

"Ahhhh!" Wawa screamed. "They are coming! They are coming!" Everyone at camp wakes up in high alert, clutching onto their weapons ready for an attack.

Sat up, searching the camp with his wolf eyes trying to find the fault to Wawa's screaming. "What is it, Wawa?" Giken yelped.

"They are here. I saw it with my own eyes. They are here. We may have to fight ourselves and fight… them" Wawa exaggerates the word 'them' as though they were something to be reckoned with.

"Them who? Wawa, calm down! You are starting a panic amongst the group. We need to lead with vigilance and a narrow mind. Do you understand?" Giken reminded Wawa.

After calming herself, Wawa finally said, "I understand, Giken."

"Now, tell me what message you were trying to relay."

"The Zaa Clan, they are here. Sereen's life might be in danger. We need to find her before they do, otherwise it will be another century before a true alpha is born to the Ma'iingan. All of our lives are at stake if we fail to bring Sereen back."

"Are they going to kill us if they get to her first?" Giken asked.

"I'm not sure what they will do to us, but I know for sure that Manji-manidoo and Niiganii will not spare any one of us for opposing them."

"Then we must find her before they do." Giken said and gave a command, "Brothers, sisters, and children I understand our journey of late has been relentlessly exhausting, but we are the Ma'iingan and we shape the land as we go. As appointed leader, I will be honest with you all. There are more issues at hand that will test our limits, so I ask you all to please make haste. Finding alpha is our number one priority, but we mustn't forget ourselves. We will continue our search soon so make sure you and your children are fed and hydrated."

Giken whistled to Mooji and Asin who had just left the teepee. "We will be moving soon. Break down the teepee. In the meantime…" Giken switches his attention to Gimtimi and the two women in her arms, "Gimtimi and her passionate lovers will gather fresh water as I assist Wawa and in food preparations."

Swifty, everyone began running their tasks almost immediately. Giken is heavy-hearted and looks to Wawa for sympathy.

"Wawa, it's hard to lead when you know there is so much expectation you have of others. These children should not have to go through such hardships. I can never imagine having my future children do anything like this."

"They have chosen this path when they chose to follow you in hopes to find the true Alpha. Think of it as you are only a guiding light that will eventually become a shadow when alpha takes charge. For now, you can only do the best that you can."

Giken nods, "Thanks, Wawa. I only pray that I am doing the right thing."

*

Lei stumbles into the shed and passes out next to Sereen in his drunken stupor, but the following morning he wakes up to find blankets and pillows stuffed underneath the duvet.

"Sereen!" Lei's voice echoed.

"My lord, what seems to be the problem here?" a servant asked.

"She is gone. Quick, someone please get Jerell. I need him to fetch her for me." He demanded.

"Sire, no one has seen Ser Jerell ever since we came afoot from the waters."

"Bloody-hell! Get someone for me. NOW!"

Lei and a dozen men grouped up to find her Sereen but to no avail, not even a track mark was found.

"It's been two days and there is no sight of her anywhere. Maybe the wolves ate her." one of the men said.

"Or maybe a bear." another one added.

"It's a serpent, I tell ya. In these woods, they could probably grow bigger than the humans… that's for sure." the one with the thick Scottish accent suggested.

"Learn to keep your dimwitted mouth shut and your eyes open, you peabrains." Lei yelled at the three men who were just standing around talking while the others scouted.

"What in the bloody hell is that?" the scottish guy asked, pointing into the sky. All of the men's eyes geared into the same direction up into the still dark morning sky.

A comet seems to be coming straight down upon them, but then suddenly curved heading towards the ship.

"You three nincompoops stay here and keep scouting the area. Report only if you find anything. The rest of you, follow me back to the rest area!" Lei commanded and all the scattered men quickly followed his pursuit as he rushed towards the ship.

*

"Shaman Shao, it's been three days. There is no location shown for us to find the star." Xui complained angrily.

"But it's right there." Shaman Shao pointed to the dragon star beaming its light down onto Ma'iingan territory.

"There? Where there is barely any human civilization, that's the location?" Xui asked, puzzled.

"Seems like it. You'll never know until you get there."

"I will take a few of my men with me first. The rest of the battalion will follow when I signal them." Xui bowed to Shaman Shao and walked out of the room towards the veranda.

The palace is located in the deepest and darkest part of the ocean, but as precipitation takes place, the Zaa Clan has learned to utilize the space in the cloud to view mankind. Shaman Shao is in charge of the direct interaction with humans and to foresee future catastrophes.

On the veranda Xui and nine men embody themselves in wind and clouds for fast traveling. They shot out of the terrace and down onto Earth, towards the appointed location.

They moved as fast as a falling star until they landed onto the deck of a ship, covering the area around them with a thick fog about a mile long.

The maids on the ship fan away the mistiness for a clearing. Xui stands before her and clasps her chin, turning her face side to side.

"This person's flesh is too pale to be one of us." she said as she turned her ears slightly back towards her company who all stood in a line gripping their swords tenaciously. "What do you guys think?"

"General, this one looks to be a servant. Not quite what we are searching for. Maybe there are more on the ship?"

"Girl, where are the others?" Xui asked the maid, pressing her nails deeply into the young maid's cheeks.

"Ouch…" the maid cried, "There are but only a few of us left. Unfortunately, I am the only gal left."

Xui shakes the maids face out of her hand, throwing the maids' whole body to the side forcing her to go off balance before she stumbles down onto the deck floor.

Xui pulls out a handkerchief and wipes her hands, "What is this shithole we are on?" Xui asked in disgust.

The maid looked up at Xui and said waverly, "Ma'am, you are on King Leifae Arkson's ship. We were sailing back towards Newland Mansion, but the plague was festering from below deck. They had to abandon ship. They weren't going to come back for us until all had died. We were advised that they will be back in a fortnight to burn our contaminated bodies." the maid began to cry loudly as she wiped her tears.

"Plague…" Xui rolled her eyes. "The gods must have a good plan to renew the mortality of your kind. Girl, are you afraid of death?"

"Y..yes." she whimpered, nodding her head up and down.

In the speed of light, Xui unsheathed and resheathed her sword. The maid's cries muted and the sound of her gurgles pursued. She reached her hands up to her neck and a line of red forms from ear to ear before it began to seep a blood, slow at first but then as she gurgled the blood began to gush.

"Death is the only way out at this point for these people. Let's glide to the shores and find this girl."

"Yes, General!" the men said in unison and unsheathed all of their swords.