The Plan

The night was alive as the insects and the night creatures roamed around the wooded area of Riverway. The huts were all darkened while the people sounded fast asleep. The campfires were all but embers roasting in ashes that flared up once in a while from the cool breeze.

From one of the huts a woman's voice rang in a loud scream, waking the Riverway people one hut at a time. Torches flickered as the men rushed out of their huts to see the commotion.

But it was already too late. Manji-Manidoo and his followers, consisting of the other half of the Ma'iingan tribe, had already surrounded the small establishment, attacking all the Riverway people as they fled for their lives.

Manji-manidoo's voice could be heard yelling. "Everyone must die! That is the only way to cleanse this land!"

Merluc and his armored troops ran out into the darkness of the night to fight the wolves, but were no match. Their sight was blinded in the darkness and with all the screaming around them, it became apparent that they were already defeated.

Merluc swings his sword, completely decapitating a wolf then proceeds to slice as many wolves as he could. Covered in blood and exhausted, Merluc stands face to face with Manji-manidoo's wolf form. His bright yellow eyes staring straight into Merluc and for the first time in a long time, Merluc was lost in complete bliss. His psychotic mind has finally found a worthy opponent to fight, for this time it will be his death.

Merluc gave a big grin and then charged towards Manji-manidoo with his sword. He swung and missed then swung and missed again. He tried hardest to land a blow on the wolf, but it wasn't happening so he held his sword at hand and ran up as close as he could to Manji-manidoo then he swung his sword downward…

…and he missed…

Maniji-manidoo had dodged all of his attacks and this one was Merluc's last. Manji-manidoo closed the space between them with his large jaws open wide, snipping Merluc's head off his shoulders. Merluc's body drops with a loud clicking thud from his heavy golded armor onto the ground.

Riverway had succumbed to a very tragic end as Jeko and Bizikaw set fire to all of the sheds.

Aamoo was instructed to scout the remaining shed to seek out anyone still alive and in hiding. He came upon the biggest shed and entered. It was filled with a bunch of food and a man, all bloodied and tied up on the ground.

While in his wolf form, Aamoo tiptoes with caution towards the unconscious man and sniffs him. Aamoo gets a strong whiff of the man and he reeked of something sour, like food that has gone rottened and it burned the inside of his nose. Aamoo backs away, transforming into his human form, coughing and sneezing from the odorous chemical from the man then everything suddenly went black.

Aamoo was later found by Jeko who then helped him to regroup with the rest of their tribe.

The screams seemed to never end during the onslaught at Riverway. Men, women and children are all dead. Not one person was spared, except the one that possibly escaped.

*

Bjork had just managed to break free from Merluc's knotted ropes. Its been half a week of torture and he couldn't bare anymore.

His missing fingernails ached as he tried his hardest to undo the knot that bound his wrists loosely together behind him. When his hands were finally free, his next step to his escape was finding a way to stand and walk. They had broken one of his ankles with a hammer. The other one was dislocated and then pushed it back in place over and over again. He quickly assessed his situation, but was distracted by a woman's scream.

Looking around he noticed a scythe and crawled towards it like an inchworm. His tightly bound knees, thighs, and ankles only allowed him to move so fast.

He was able to cut off all the remaining ropes from the rest of his body. He managed to gather a few things from around the storage to brace and wrap around his broken ankle.

"Alright, I will use this scythe as my weapon and my cane. Anyone or anything in my way will die." Bjork said to himself while pocketing food he could use for ration. He went down into a ceramic jar with a ladle to retrieve what he thought was water to drink. But as he took a big gulp, he immediately spat out its content, spilling it all over his shirt.

"VINEGAR!" he coughed out as he examined the situation outside through a small window. "Good god, those savages are burning homes now?" Bjork grinned maliciously, "Great, it'll only keep others occupied as I make my escape."

Just as Bjork was about to leave the storage, he heard footsteps outside the door. He quickly backed up, laid back down onto the ground, grabbed the broken ropes to looped around him, and played dead. He slowed his breathing to lower his pulse and then closed his eyes.

He can hear the paws of the wolf slowly thudding in his direction.

"Keep your eyes closed. Wait for the right moment." he said to himself.

The nuzzle of the wolf was right next to his face, breathing loud and sniffing. Suddenly, the wolf sneezed and continued to sneeze, backing up away from him. Bjork opened his eyes to look at the now defenseless wolf, but as he did he saw that the wolf was turning into a man.

He quickly pushed the broken ropes off of him, struggled to get up off the floor, grabbed the scythe and swung it at the man's neck.

The scythe was dull and barely did any cutting, but the man still fell down onto the ground, unconscious.

"Vinegar." Bjork said out loud and quickly made his way to the vinegar jar.

He dipped a deer bladder canister into the vinegar for collection then swiftly made his escape. He had all he needed to survive the wilderness for a few days, but his leg should heal a little bit more, allowing him to be ready if he has to take on another wolf..

While the other wolves and men were busy gathering dead bodies and setting torches to the huts, Bjork took the back road to the river and swam his way across.

*

"The land is ever changing for it is the wolves that are the ones that shape its river."

-unknown

*

"I miss you, Giken." Giken heard my voice echoing with the wind.

"Gimtimi, we must continue our journey now. Wake everyone." Giken commanded.

"Giken, everyone is exhausted. It hasn't been long since they've rested. You have to be a little more patient." Gimtimi replied.

"But Sereen's voice was carried with the wind. I can hear her as clearly as though she is right next to me."

"Giken." Wawa sits up to look at Giken. "I hear her too. She is sad and she yearns for you. The spirits told me so. But remember, you are leading us now. Everything you do, directly affects us all. Fate and destiny is on our side. We will find her. THEY will lead us to her."

"They, as in the gods? I don't know about you but I haven't felt any love from our gods." Giken said.

"No, Giken…'They' as in the ancestors. A path is already underway to reunite you two… though I fear many lives will be sacrificed along the way. Including those at the pale face's establishment (RIVERWAY)."

"What makes you so sure, Wawa?" Giken questioned.

"Because, a strong spirit is here to guide us to her… well, more like to guide you to her." Wawa answered.

"And who may that be?"

"She is called Qingyang. She is the ancestor of your beloved Sereen. Very powerful being this lady is. More powerful than Vio herself."

"What kind of name is that? It doesn't sound like the pale skin people and their words."

"No, her tribe is what they call a clan. I can see it." Wawa closes her eyes, "A land across the ocean, even further away than where the pale faces came from. They bore the same tones as we do. They are shifters like us, but are not wolves."

"They aren't Ma'iingan but they are kind of like Ma'iingan?"

"Yes, but they are even bigger and stronger. As we own land and shift the rivers, they own the sea and shift the sky. Very powerful, indeed."

"Wawa, you're giving me such hopes, but I fear to lead us. I fear I might bring us to our ruins, like Niiganii had said."

"Don't listen to Niiganii's words. She is only your birth mother and nothing more. Her hunger for power has consumed her and now she is working on the wrong side."

"You mean, working with the 'enemy'?" Gimtimi answered snottily.

"No, not the enemy. Ma'iingan is never enemies with one another, but it fits more along the lines of good and evil. They are definitely on the wrong side."

Giken looked up at the moon, "Sereen, I miss you, too. I am on my way to find you. Hold on."

Giken whispered to the moon, hoping and Sereen is looking up at the same moon at the same time, so the moon can relay his message to her.

*

"Emilia. My dearest, Emilia. It is time for the flames to burn red within your soul. Wake your dragon~"

I twitched awake. Gazing around the little space I was sleeping in, I realized that my reality is still headed in one direction, Newland Mansion. It has now been almost a week since we've left Riverway. The birds and the spirit animals tell me something horrible had happened there. I kind of figured it out through my visions that Manji-Manidoo and Niiganii, along with that Shaman lady, Aaniish, had done something horrible to everyone there.

But I can't help but shake the feeling that I am in danger. Maybe paranoia has set in from this sleep depravity and malnutrition.

Lei will check in every now and then on me, but he is such a busy person. He's helping everyone chop wood, build, hunt and… well, he just takes charge of everything like he always does. I find myself just waiting for him. Like a queen on a pedestal, never to get her dress dirtied.

I have been preparing for my escape, but my illness has kept me chained to this place. I've begun to think that maybe this was my destiny. That I was meant to just live my life like this.

"Lady Sereen," Lei barged in, "We've got pheasants. Lots of them!" He said all cherry and happy. " Oh, my dear, you look horrible. How are you still feeling?" he asked.

"Quite alright, I guess. I'm feeling a little feverish, but I think that's just the cold air."

Lei backed away a little bit and covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief. "Well, I will send a nurse in, just in case what you have is catching. Lord knows what will happen if I become ill… again." He chuckled and then left.

"Dear GOD, he is insufferable!" I screamed into a pillow. That was the final straw. I was going to run away tonight. I can not deal with this man, this lifestyle and this loneliness. It is driving me crazy!

I go through all my supplies again and again, making sure I have everything I need, including my garter dagger. The only thing I need is a cloak like Jerell's, then I will be ready.