The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 21

"Jesus Christ, sir," O'Brady called out as he looked up with fear written across his ashen face.

They were silent for a moment as they both gazed down into the darkness that sprawled out below them, bushes, logs and rocks speaking back of the pain that would have followed had Sanchez not reacted so fast. Whether it was the anxiety of everything reaching its peak, or something else Tani'm wasn't sure, but the two men began to laugh.

Florentine was still in shock, his eyes darting from side to side as he fought to contain the building dread. Tani'm could see it in his eyes, the knowledge that everything that was happening was his fault, and the understanding that had Sanchez not been there O'Brady would have gone over the edge.

After a moment, O'Brady was able to secure himself enough that he was not worried about sliding down the slope, which gave Sanchez a chance to pull his knife and stand up. Reaching down, Sanchez gripped arms with O'Brady and began to pull him up the slope. Just as the two men were balanced with one another, each of them supporting the other's weight as they pulled O'Brady back up on the ledge, Tani'm stepped away from the wall and moved towards them.

Florentine released a high pitched squeak of terror as he saw her move over, the forest seeming to come alive and threaten his comrades. Tani'm raised her arm, protecting the side of her head as she lifted her leg. Sanchez looked back, his body twisting uncomfortably as he struggled not to drop O'Brady, and his eyes grew wide as he saw the shifting colors of Tani'm's five foot form standing behind him.

There was something in his eyes that troubled Tani'm, as if she could see his understanding of the world shatter as he witnessed her preparing to attack. In his brown gaze she saw resignation, an understanding that there was nothing he could do to stop her, and a rekindling of the fear that had haunted him since she had kidnapped Smith.

With a solid kick to the side of his chest she sent him and O'Brady flying over the edge. Both of them tumbling down the steep embankment and bouncing off of a few large rocks before sliding to a stop at the bottom. A gunshot range out, and Tani'm felt a large draw on her magical power as Andrew's ward protected her from the lethal weapon. A light green glow covered the side of her exposed chest where the bullet had been stopped, the soft leather armor showing no sign of damage despite the slight ache that she could feel from where it had hit her.

After a few quick dodges she was on him, his shots following her as she moved and each one of them hitting her on the arms and body, where the ward was able to deflect the damage. He was over eight inches taller than her, but it made no difference as she knocked the gun out of his hand and swept his legs out from under him.

It was almost impossible for him to fight what he could barely see, her movements masked by the shifting colors of her gift. Still, his training was such that he drew his knife and continued to fight even though most men would have collapsed into a puddle of terror by that point. Tani'm was in no mood to continue the struggle, and found his experience did little to stop her and her supernatural ability.

He struck out with the knife, and she caught his hand with hers, twisting his wrist and forcing him to release the weapon as she unsheathed her long bone knife and brought it to his throat. Dropping her concealment she could see the surprise on his face as he realized she was a young woman.

Her long black hair was pulled back along her temples and woven into a braid that kept her hair behind her. Most of it was still loose, able to move through the wind which she loved. Her dark red skin highlighted the beauty of her people, and the intensity of her green eyes as she glowered at him from a short distance away only seemed to further his paralysis.

Despite the intensity of the moment she could see arousal creep up behind his eyes as he took in her perfect complexion and youthful appearance. He struggled against her hand that held his arm out above him, straining against her unnatural strength until she pressed her knife harder against his neck.

"We will have words, little man..." Her voice drifted off as she turned her head, listening to Sanchez calling up from the bottom of the slope.

"Florentine, get your ass down here."

Tani'm turned back and smiled, her predators gaze causing Frank to look away from her as he realized how outmatched he was.

"Just not yet, I have more work to do."

She punctuated her statement by pulling her knife from his throat just long enough to hit him on the chin, knocking him out. Tani'm studied him for a few moments, trying to decide what she wanted to do, and how she wanted to get even with the careless and evil little man who laid before her.

Running her fingers along his cheek she admired the chiseled features that came from years of hard training. He was handsome, and part of her wondered if that was why he had become so arrogant. Either way she did not want to permanently disfigure him, even if that was what he was preparing to do to her friend. Instead, she wanted to send a message, and had an idea that just might work. Something that would not only resonate with him, but make any man think twice about crossing her or her desires again.

Pulling his arms above his head she reached her mind into the ground and found what she knew would be there, roots scattered all around them from the countless plants that made her home the lush wonderland that it was. With concentration she commanded the forest to obey her will, pleased as she felt the roots lengthening and thickening as they reached out and wrapped themselves around his limbs.

After a minute she was done, and standing she felt light headed with the expense of energy it had taken, but Frank was trapped there, bound to the ground and unable to escape if he woke up before she returned. What she really wanted to do would take more time, but she still had two soldiers to deal with. After a few steps she jumped off the ledge and slid down the embankment, her heart filling with excitement as she once again blended into the forest.

The two remaining men had not made it far. They were again moving in the same direction they had been from before.

"Sir, we can't leave Florentine back there."

There was panic in O'Brady's quivering voice, his tone making his statement seem far less certain than the words appeared.

"You didn't see that fuckin' thing. He's gone, Smith is gone, and we will be too if we can't get out here."

Sanchez was terrified, and Tani'm could tell that he was barely holding it together. Now that they were following a trail and had placed some distance between themselves and the cliff where she had ambushed them, Sanchez picked up his pace, bringing his walkie-talkie to his mouth.

"Base, come in... For fuck sakes, come in. O'Brady and I got separated from Florentine... It's not the rabbit, it's something larger and more dangerous. I think I saw it, but... This makes no fucking sense, sir. It... it... for fucks sake, it was cloaked or something."

The entire time he spoke, Tani'm moved towards them, running through the forest. She had expected O'brady to have been looking at Sanchez as he screamed into the radio, but as she ran between two trees nearing him she saw his eyes dart over towards her and his pistol following his gaze.

"Sir, I think I see it over-"

Just as he was lining up his shot a rock hit him in the face, and before he could recover she was on him, his knees kicked out from behind and her arm wrapping around his throat. He tried to scream, but her hand clasped over his mouth and prevented him from making more than a muffled cry as Tani'm dragged him into the darkness.

Sanchez's panicked voice followed her as she dragged her struggling victim off, "O'Brady's down now, too. I'm all that's left."

O'Brady landed a few good elbows on her side, but Andrew's ward protected her from any harm as the strong man continued to fight. His strength began to fade, but not before he drew his knife, attempting to stab the point into her leg and finding the material impossible to damage. Soon after, his body went limp and she let him go, patting him on the face and whispering, "Sleep well, little soldier. You won't be alone long."

With that, she rose to her feet, watching as Sanchez spoke into his radio. She had missed the first part of what he said, but as she sighted him in with the rifle she caught his last words, "... I don't think I'm gonna make it. Whatever happens, don't leave my body here for the animals. My family deserv-"

It had been a long time since she shot a gun, and she was pleased to see that it was a skill she hadn't lost.

His hand came up and pulled the dart from his chest, "What the, a fuckin' tranq..."

He collapsed to the ground, his eyes focusing on her as she walked up and faded into view.

"Stop being so damn melodramatic, you little girl," Tani'm said as she watched him pass out. She searched his body and took his walkie-talkie. She clicked the button on the side and said, "Tread carefully in my forest, and leave my friends alone. The rabbit is off limits!"

Tani'm released the button and felt satisfied with how everything had turned out. They would of course be afraid she had killed their men, but they would find them eventually. Looking at the controls on the device, she could tell that it was pretty fancy, lots of options and features. One of the buttons had a faint red light shining through the word on its surface; "distress."

She looked down and smiled at Sanchez, "Good on you, guess you realized how this was gonna turn out."

She dropped the device on him before jogging back to the forest where she found O'Brady just coming to. She took one of his darts from his belt and stabbed him in the arm before he had fully woken up. Shock giving way to sleep in a moment as he once more went limp. With that taken care of she dragged him over to Sanchez, where she stripped their weapons. Leaving them with their clothes and Sanchez's walkie-talkie. She pulled the battery out of O'brady's, figuring that Eddie could use the hardware.

Tani'm looked off in the direction that Thunderfoot had been ambushed and huffed, realizing that she still had some work to do before she could have fun with Frank. Thunderfoot was in that direction as well, and much to her surprise he seemed content and amused.

With supernatural grace she made her way towards Smith, the first soldier she had knocked out, and the last one left unaccounted for. Within a few minutes she came across Thunderfoot, who was sitting in a small clearing looking up towards the ledge where she had ambushed the soldiers a short time before. Tani'm caught the scent of another man, his aroma was masked and barely noticeable, but as she looked at the ground she could see signs of his presence in the damaged and scuffed moss that rested beside Thunderfoot.

"What the hell?" She asked, adding a, "Traitor," as she got the image of a man in a ghillie suit who Thunderfoot had found there. The man had watched her attack his men, and could have stopped her with the rifle he had been viewing her through.

"Nice guy. Asked if you kill," Thunderfoot stated as he tilted his head up towards the cliff, helping Tani'm understand the hidden man's question. "I say, No. You no kill."

"How the hell did you-" Tani'm began to ask, but stopped as Thunderfoot looked up and shook his head towards her. His antlers swaying in broad and comical sweeps that made his response clear.

"You no kill, right?"

The uncertainty in his soft voice was surprising to Tani'm, who knew that Thunderfoot only understood what she had done in a broad way. Part of him, she realized, thought she was doing it out of anger for what they had done to him. And that same part thought she might be capable of murdering them for it.

Tani'm smiled and rubbed his head, savoring the chortling noise he made as she petted him, his relief washing through him along with the joy of her massage.

"Of course not, silly rabbit."

She laughed as he scowled at her. Some things never changed no matter how much smarter he got.

"If you don't mind, I need to drag that other idiot back here with these two. Then I need to have some words with Frank." Thunderfoot looked at her with confusion, so she added, "The guy who was going to cut off your ear. The one who took the shot on you and started all this."

He studied her for a long moment, worry seeming to rest in his gaze as his black eyes peered into her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to maim him. I'm just gonna... Well, take something he values."

As she turned to leave she ran her hand along Thunderfoot's course antler, amazed at how beautiful and large they were when her finger caught on the rough edge where he had deflected Frank's knife earlier that night. When Thunderfoot turned to look back up at the rise she saw moonlight glint from within the crack, and looking more closely she saw what appeared to be polished steel just beneath the surface.

Tani'm wanted to investigate it more, to ask Thunderfoot about it but could sense that he was as confused as she was. There was too much to do, and not enough time for all of it. With a sigh of resignation, she brought her focus back on Smith and finishing up with the military. Thunderfoot's changes would just have to wait until later.

With that she ran off, intent on dragging Smith back to the other two before she returned to Frank. Before she made him feel a small piece of what he was going to do to Thunderfoot. If she was right, Frank would never live down what she was going to do to him.

***** A Tangled Web *****

Andrew reclined in the back of his parent's SUV, Karen's fingers sifting through the mighty web of chaos that the day had made of his hair. Light shone through the windows in a fast yet consistent pattern, houses and street lamps casting bright rays into the private world that they had made for themselves as they drifted down the road.

None of them wanted to admit it, but they were all worried. Every time Andrew tried to speak to Karen, to assure her that Tani'm would be alright, the beautiful brunette would smile down at him and move her fingers to his lips. Love and appreciation seeping through their bond into the center of his mind, telling him that she knew what he was trying to do and assuring him that it wasn't necessary.

"God, you two are so depressing," Sara said from the front seat, her gaze drifting to the rearview mirror where she winked at their looks of annoyance, a mischievous smile spread across her beautiful face.

Perhaps they were not all as worried as Andrew thought.

"Are we meeting up with her to help her kick the military's ass, or are we trying to get thumper back home?" Sara asked as she returned her attention to the road.

Karen laughed, her husky feminine voice sounding like an ageless melody, "I vote for both, but I think lover boy here might take issue with that."

Andrew smiled and nodded, acknowledging that he wasn't ready to stand up to his parents yet. At least not for Tani'm, no matter how alluring he found the enigmatic woman. He hated himself for it, but he hadn't been able to let go of the fact that she had done nothing but distrust him since the moment they'd met. Andrew knew he was being childish, recognizing the terrible burdens that Tani'm faced, but still his feelings remained unyielding to his reason. Even as he felt Karen's adoration for the young woman, he could not let go of his frustration.

His eyes spoke of his indecision as he looked up into Karen's hazel gaze, and he could see within those beautiful windows that she understood the feelings he tried to keep secret. With a sheepish grin he said, "Yeah, I'm just here to help Thunderfoot. As far as I'm concerned, Tani'm and I are square."

Andrew could feel Sara's pride swelling up as she listened to his words, knowing that she had always hated how he allowed Tani'm to treat him. He could see a flash of remorse skitter across Karen's face, and knew she wanted to jump in and help Tani'm. He could only hope that she understood that he was right in the decision he was making, and felt guilty that their bond would keep her from chasing her own desires.

"If it had been anyone except the US Government, then we could help her," Karen provided, as if trying to quell the guilt that boiled in the back of Andrew's mind.

"Even 'The Council'?", Andrew asked, a smug smile spread across his face as he watched her squint down at him, knowing that he had just named an organization far more dangerous.

Karen's fingers clenched into his hair, and as he gasped in surprise she began to tickle his midsection with her other hand.

"Hey there smart guy, those in precarious positions should choose their battles more carefully."

Andrew fought back his laughter, not wanting to diminish the importance of what he was about to say — no matter how tempting it was to give into Karen's playful game of dominance.

"Are you sure that warning wasn't meant for someone else?"

Immediately, Karen's eyes grew wide as the meaning of his words sank in. Damn she's so smart, Andrew thought, her eyes flicking back and forth as the look of defeat spread across her face. Karen released his hair and once more ran her fingers along his cheek with a sigh.

"Why does she have to be so impetuous?"

"Seriously, if you guys don't stop being such downers I just might have to turn this car around."

Sara was squinting at them through the rearview mirror, her eyes reflecting the frustration Andrew could feel through their bond.

With a broad grin, Andrew and Karen asked in unison, "Are we there yet?"

"Actually," Sara said triumphantly as the SUV slid to a stop, "We are!"

She shifted the car into park and pulled the e-brake, stepping out before either of them could respond.

"Guess we walked into that one," Karen whispered, both of them laughing.

Andrew knew that Sara was right, they needed to get out of their heads and focus on the task ahead. While he had some ideas, Andrew was not sure if he could actually help get Thunderfoot home. All he knew was that Tani'm and Thunderfoot's searches had yet to yield anything meaningful, even though they were pretty certain they were looking in the right place.

RPGs were full of fantastical ways to hide things that were not meant to be found, and while he hated relying on something he had always considered a playful distraction, he was forced to admit that so far none of his geeky knowledge had led him astray. Sure, magic didn't seem to line up directly with what he knew, but enough was there for him to have hope.

His spine tingled as he thought about what he wanted to try, using modern technology to circumvent magical deception. There was something beautiful and symmetric about it, as if the universe had just lined itself up for what he was going to do. It resonated with him, helping Andrew to know that he was fulfilling his purpose.

His mates filled his heart with that same sense of accomplishment, as if everything was inline and where it was intended. Sara and her wild carefree attitude, and Karen with her measured yet wise approach to everything, all of them fitting together so perfectly despite the disparity of how they operated on their own.

"This'll work," Karen intoned, her words carrying more hope than Andrew would have liked to hear, but he understood her worry. Thunderfoot was such a gentle and sweet creature, he deserved to be with his family, not trapped in their foreign land.

"Only one way to find out," Andrew stated, before sitting up and turning towards her, "But first..."

His voice trailed off as he reached around her side and gripped her hip, leaning up while he pulled Karen into a deep and passionate kiss. It was something they both needed, and Andrew knew that once they got started there would be no chance to make it happen; not without creating a scene, that is. So, for that limited time they were alone, and he intended to make the most of it.