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The Raven flew over head, heedless of the storm raging both above and below. It never once gave more than a thought to the carnage that was happening below, as it rode the thermal waves high above the temple village below. The Raven cares not for the hundreds of dead below, nor does it care to hear the cries of small children begging for mercy, only to be slain out of hand.
The village once held more than five hundred, now the Raven could see only one; only one left with the power to fight... only one left with the will, and the ability... only one.
Lightning crashed overhead as the young boy spun his staff around, striking a blow to the soldier’s throat, crushing his windpipe. Never slowing, the boy twirled again, sweeping out with the staff, and taking out another soldier with a well placed hit right above the knee. The man went down with a cry of agony, but the boy never heard. He was committed to the fight, nothing else mattered.
The storm raged around him, echoing the storm raging in his soul. All around him, he saw dead bodies, some were his family, friends, and loved ones, while others were those soldiers sent there to kill them... to capture him.
A soldier came up behind him, but the boy didn't need to see him, or even hear him, to know he was there. The staff flashed and the man fell at the boy’s feet.
STRIKE, once committed, never hesitate.
Strike, do not focus on one thing, but on all things.
Strike, never waste a move, every move is made to kill
STRIKE!
The mantra played over and over in the young boy's mind as he again engaged a knot of soldiers. They wanted him alive... and that was their mistake, he would not be captured alive, so he had nothing to lose.
'Always know what your enemy has to lose, for an enemy that has nothing to lose, cannot be defeated.'
Again his master's words came into his mind, and he smiled briefly, for now it made sense.
Two soldiers came at him, both wielding clubs, without slowing, he brought both of them low. Never a wasted movement, every move his young body made took a life; he was death to these men.
His anger flared. These men brought death to his house. He looked around, and saw so many dead, some much younger than he, all cut down without a care. Inside his storm demanded vengeance, demanded violence, demanded retribution... he would have what was his.
Rage flowed through his young body, as yet another soldier came to him. Without a thought, he threw out a hand, and the man stopped dead. For a second, nothing happened, but then the man screamed. Falling to his knees his hand dropped the club, and both hands clutched his head, before he fell over dead, blood trickling out of his ears, nose and mouth.
The boy let a smile cross his lips, and he brushed the single long braid of hair he wore to the back where it belonged. His eyes flashed from a deep crimson red, back to his normal deep brown, and again he moved, slowly making his way to the temple that marked the center of his small village.
He entered the courtyard, and stared to make his way up the stairs that led into the temple proper. His small Orange-brown robe, torn in places, flowed out behind him in the wind; above him, the peels of thunder were almost constant. Echoing the rage that was gripping his soul, he knew what he would find in the temple, but he hoped against hope that maybe the master was still alive.
About half way up the stairs, he stopped as the doors to the temple were thrown open, and soldiers poured out. They spread themselves out, making a wall between him and the doors. Slowly an opening was made, and a huge man walked out; leisurely but loudly clapping his hands. When he was in front of the contingent of troops, he stopped, and grinned down at the small boy who had just entered his eleventh year.
"Very well fought little Prince, very well indeed. I am most impressed by your skill, especially for one so young." The man said smiling broadly.
"Such a shame that so many had to die. You should have taken his Majesty's offer. If you had, then none of these would have had to die."
The boy slammed his staff into the stone of the steps, the skies over head rolling with the thunder that threatened to shake the ancient stone building apart.
"You know as well as I do General, the 'Long De Chuan Ren' (Decedents of the Dragon), would never bow to his wishes. Our order has been separate since before your nation was even founded, and we will not stop that now!"
"Your order?" The General asked with amusement. "Look around you boy, your order is destroyed. Killed to the last. That is power OUR Emperor holds. Now you will either join us, or you will join your fellows in the afterlife." The General's smiled faded, as he lifted his hand, the soldiers behind him raised their rifles.
'Now the rules have changed.' The young boy thought to himself, 'now they will kill me if they cannot have me. Well father, seems I may join you quicker than we thought.' The boy raised his staff again, the worn ironwood felt warm in his hands, as if it were alive. Those who knew the 'Dragons' well may think that it might have been alive, while those who were Dragons, and especially their crowned prince... they know it is. The staff was thousands of years old, and had a power of its own.
"What is your answer boy, will you join us, will you serve the Empire... or will you die where you stand?"
The young boy’s hands tightened around the staff as he closed his eyes, he heard the last words his father spoke him once again in his mind. "Son... you must never surrender. Invoke the Dragon, and fight with all you are. Never let yourself be ruled by anything other than love and duty."
With a small nod, he opened his eyes, glowing once again with the power of the Dragon. With a scream of rage, he charged the soldiers. The thunder overhead drowned out the sound of the rifles firing. The Dragon had been unleashed.
Chang had been meditating, trying to calm his soul after the events surrounding the slave clones. He went to the training yard, and began a Ti Chi kata exercise designed to let the mind drift, and the stresses to drain away, letting the mind work through it's issues with out any interference.
However, the vision had invaded during his kata, filling his mind with the sights and sounds of what was going on. He very much was the Raven that was flying over head watching all that had happened on the ground.
When, at last, the kata was over, he came out of his trance and sighed. "May we live in interesting times indeed." He spoke to himself. He calmly dressed as he thought back over the dream, the houses could have been from hundreds of years ago. It reminded him of the Shaolin temple that Master Takamura had told him about. At least it looked like he had pictured it in his mind when Master was weaving his tales of the mythical village/monastery.
But then he thought about the soldiers. They were carrying and using modern weapons. 'Very modern...' he thought to himself. A moment later, he gasped as everything fell into place in his mind. He paused while putting on his shirt and silently cursed. He quickly sent a mental message.
<<It has begun Master.>>
He neither waited for, nor expected a response as he started walking towards the palace. "Daileass. Please activate the communications devices for the entire wolf pack."
A brief moment later, just as he reached the entrance to the palace, Daileass responded. "Go ahead Chang, the Wolf Pack is listening."
"Thank you Daileass." Chang said as he paused at the door. "Wolf Pack. Prepare yourselves for a mission. We may be gone for several days, and I do not know what we may face, so be prepared for anything. However, we will be traveling a good distance on foot."
Bardolf, the alpha of the pack, was the one to respond. "Right away Filtiarn." He said. Chang couldn't help but smile. Ever since he and Korris had rescued the Pack, they had always called him that. He found out that it loosely translated into 'Lord of the Wolves'.
Ten minutes later, Chang walked into the pod that the wolves had claimed, and smiled. All around him, the wolves were running around to get themselves ready. Off to one side of the room, he saw Gunnolf getting a large pile of guns and ammunition ready to be packed into the various military style packs that were around. Chang immediately walked over to him. "Stop." When the eleven year old boy/wolf looked up at him in surprise, Chang explained. "We will not be taking any guns or modern weaponry. Where we will be going, such things are taboo."
The boy's eyes widened with surprise, but he wasn't about to argue with Filtiarn. He quickly nodded, and stepped away from the guns. Around the room, the other wolves had stopped to hear what Chang was saying. When Gunnolf dropped the guns, they all started scrambling to grab their other weapons.
After a few moments, they were all dressed similar to Chang. Long robe, with bladed weapons strapped to many different parts of their bodies. The only difference between their robes and Chang's, their robes had deep cowls, and were designed to hide their tails.
It was only when they were fully ready to go that Bardolf asked the question that was on all their minds. "Where are we going?"
Chang nodded as he looked the pack over before he spoke. "Where we are going is the country known as China. We will be visiting a Shaolin Monastery, however, what we find there is unknown at the moment. But prepare for anything, including combat. We will also have to do a bit of walking when we get near. The people we are visiting have banned technology inside their monastery, so we will not transport in."
Daileass chimed in from the ceiling speaker. "Chang... are you sure about these coordinates? From everything I can see... there ain't nothing there."
Chang gave one of his rare amused grins as he replied. "That is because there is nothing there for the outside world to see."
"Ho...." Daileass started before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Oh never mind." He said in disgust, and Chang couldn't help but laugh. Daileass had turned into a rather large busy body, always wanting to know everything. But then again, that's what made him so good at his job.
A few moments later, Chang determined that the pack was ready to go, so he told Daileass to transport them. "One transport to the middle of no where coming up." He said with mirth as they all disappeared.
'This is getting to a very bad habit.' Logan said to himself as he waited in his favorite conference room, waiting for those that he asked to meet him to arrive. Even Daileass made a comment about keeping the room reserved for his use only, since he used it so often. Mentally, Logan simply flipped him off, which caused his brother to laugh out loud.
Adam, Elijah, and Joe were the first to arrive. Logan stood and gave his partner a hug, and kiss. He then turned to Elijah, and kissed him just as hard and forcefully. He felt the younger boy's emotions soaring as Logan showed him that he was still wanted by his former Master.
Joe smiled as Logan hugged him after breaking Elijah's kiss. "Damn, and here I was hoping..." Of course that got all three boys to laugh, Logan the hardest of all of them.
Adam and Joe moved to their normal seats, while Elijah went and stood next to Cole, behind their masters. The next group to enter was Paterson, Clyde and Haden. Logan gave each of them a hug before pointing them to seats.
"Well... now we're just waiting for..." Before he could finish, Janet walked into the room, causing all of them to drop their jaws in shock. She walked in dressed in old, warn blue jeans. A simple brown button down shirt, kept untucked to help hide her... feminine attributes. On top of all of it, she was wearing an old and worn cowboy hat. Of course that was quickly over shadowed by the six shooter she wore laying loosely on her hip.
Logan was the first one to re-cover. Which confused everyone else, as he started to laugh. In fact he laughed so hard, he fell into his chair, and almost out of it. Janet, for her part, mock glared at him. "What?" She exclaimed. "Just because you're mister 'all powerful', doesn't mean I don't know what you've been planning. Remember who gave birth to you mister."
She walked over to Joe and gave him a hard hug, while Logan recovered. Once the hug broke, Joe turned to Logan and said simply. "Explain."
Logan busted out laughing again, so Janet spoke up. "It's simple. It's been over a day since Logan learned about Paterson, and Brent. Had it not been for other things going on, I'm sure it would have taken far less time. But by now, he's not only figured out where Brent is, and when, but also figured out how to go there."
Joe turned and looked at Logan hard. When the boy just shrugged, Joe turned back and looked at Janet. "So this is to get us all ready for you two to go?"
"No, this is getting us all ready to go... together." Janet said as she placed her hand on top of his. "I know what you're worried about, and I wish I could tell you that you didn't need to worry." She turned him fully towards her, and took both of his hands in hers. "But you know as well as I do, this is something that has to happen. I'm not sure what the result will be, but I can say this with 100% certainty. We have a large number of children that look at us as mom and dad. That will NEVER change."
Joe nodded and pulled her into a hug. Logan got up and joined in the hug, not so much for his mother, but more for the man he called father. He wasn't sure either what would happen, but just like Janet said, it was something he had to do, no matter what the outcome.
When the hug broke, he re-took his seat then looked around the room. "Yeah, mom was right. I did some looking, and found out where and when you came from Patterson. It's in a different universe, so I can see it, but I can't interact there. However, with the help of a friend, we'll be able to go." He looked right at Paterson, Clyde and Haden when he spoke next. "The question I have for you three is simply this. Do you want to go with?"
Patterson and Clyde immediately looked at each other in shock. "Wait," Clyde began. "You mean we can go home? I mean, really back home to where all our friends are?"
"Yes." Logan said simply. "It's my hope that you will lead us, help us fit in, and find our father. If afterward you want to stay there; while I am sure a lot of people would be disappointed, in the end, it would be you're choice."
"Wow, that's amazing," Clyde replied cheerfully as smiles slid across the faces of both boys. Paterson's, however, quickly disappeared when he looked toward Haden. "What's wrong Haden, aren't you excited about being able to go back home with us?"
A long expression crossed Haden's face as he struggled to find the right words to reply with. "From the memories you gave me from the other Haden, it didn't exactly seem like a picnic back then. I mean, if it weren't for you, I don't really think I would have been able to manage at all."
Patterson nodded understandably. "Yeah, I guess I forgot about that part. But you will still have me there this time, and plus Clyde will be with us... And well, Mama Janet, man, she looks just like Betty Sue, don't she, Clyde?"
Clyde almost broke out laughing again. "Oh yeah, except her hat always looked like it was about to fall off."
Patterson nodded in agreement as he turned back to Haden. "So you see, it will be fine. Plus, we might get to see my dad, and well, I guess Logan's dad too, and I guess mama Janet's husband."
"This means a lot to you, huh?" Haden asked. Seeing Paterson nod and the look of hope in his eyes, Haden slowly nodded. "Okay, well, I survived there one day, so I guess I could survive a few more. And if all of you are going as well..."
Haden didn't get to finish speaking before Paterson began to cheer as he quickly turned to Logan. "Yup, we all want to go!"
Logan nodded at the excited boys. "Okay. Get with Daileass, so you can get dressed in more appropriate clothing, and meet us at Mama Janet's room when you're ready. As soon as we're all there, we'll go."
Clyde smiled. "That shouldn't be a problem. Paterson and I both kept our old clothes, so we can just wear them.
"Right," Paterson agreed. "But we will need to come up with something for Haden to wear that doesn't look... well, as out of place as what he was wearing last time."
"Good idea," Clyde agreed as both he and Paterson got up and began to drag a still uncertain Haden toward the door. "We'll meet you at your room in a few minutes, mom."
When Chang and his pack arrived, the found themselves on a small plateau ridge, about half way up a very steep mountain side. Chang smiled as his eyes turned blue. He turned to the Pack and spoke softly. "Pair up, it will be easier for me to lift you in pairs. He waited while they split up into five pairs, hugging each other closely, then Chang lifted, first himself, then the pairs into the air, slowly floating them up the side of the steep mountain. When they reached a small outcropping of rock, they found a small, overgrown game trail, that Chang set them down in.
Once everyone was on the ground, they backed away from each other, then followed Chang's lead as he drew his two swords. When he spoke to them, he spoke in their minds, the blue in his eyes let everyone know that he had not released the power inside of him. 'There are enemies along this trail. Take them out quickly but quietly. They are military, so be careful. Any officers I want alive. Secure them to be gotten later if needed.' When he got nods from all of them, he turned and started down the trail. 'I will take point... try to keep up.'
Had it not been for the countless hours that Chang had spent turning his Wolf pack into a deadly force that operated like a well oiled machine, they might not have been able to keep up. However, this was one of the favorite games they played when they took an extended training trip to the Unit's private training planet. It took almost six months, but they finally got to the point that they were able to keep up with the young Samurai... as long as he wasn't TRYING to loose them.
The one thing that Chang really exploited was the Wolves inbreed sense of 'pack tactics'. They already instinctively knew how to work as a group, Chang simply took that to the next level and put real 'tactics' in it. They knew how to hunt like wolves, but he trained them into how to turn a hunt into something even more than that.
The first enemy soldier they came upon, Chang didn't even bother with. He knew the pack behind him would take him out, and so they did. The guy never even knew what hit him, till he was dead. They passed by him with out even a sound, and he never saw them. They were silent death, and with Chang at the lead, they were even deadlier.
Twenty minutes passed and they never slowed. Running on the ground, or through the branches of the trees above, nothing slowed them down. Not even the thirty odd soldiers they came upon, many of them already injured. Mercy was not something the Pack had. Filtiarn had ordered their death, and the Pack obeyed. When they made it to a clearing, Chang finally did stop.
None of them were more than slightly winded, however, every single member of the pack had at least 2 kills to their names. The rest of the pack making sure that the two youngest ones were just as involved as the rest. Now though, they stood there looking at the death and destruction all around them. Above them storm clouds roiled, the storm seemed centered on this one spot.
"There." Chang said as he started walking. The pack fell in right behind their leader. In front of them they saw a small child sitting on the ground, next to the body of an older man. He had the man's head cradled into his lap as he cried.
The boy looked up just as the moon broke though some clouds, as soon as he saw Chang and the wolves, his eyes blazed red again as he jumped to his feet. The staff that was laying next to him, now firmly held in both hands. "DEMON! I will not go!"
Before Chang had a chance to say anything, the small boy charged, his staff poised to strike. Chang took a step backwards, the wolves already backing way out of the way. Chang flipped his swords around so the sharp sides were not pointing towards the boy as he parried the first blows. Thankfully Chang did not take offense to being called a demon. Knowing how his half Klingon features would be viewed, he knew what the boy meant, especially in the state of mind he was in.
Chang raised his eyes in surprise at how good this boy was. "We're not here..." Chang didn't get a chance to finish, before he was once again fighting for his life. It wouldn't have been very hard for Chang to beat this kid, but he did not want to hurt or even kill the boy, so he had to be very careful.
Dipping into the boy's mind, Chang found that the boy had snapped. At the moment there was nothing left in there other than fight. He knew the boy's mind was fine, as soon as he calmed down. However, right now, he was not calming down.
Finally, after Chang had to endure more than one barely deflected blow from the Staff, he decided to end this. Using one sword to push the staff out of the way, he used his speed to drop his sword, and grab the boy, right where the neck and the shoulder met. As the boy slumped to the ground, Chang once again thanked Master Takamura for teaching him the nerve pinch maneuver.
Twenty minutes after they left the conference room, the entire group, save for Paterson, Haden, and Clyde, had gathered in Janet's room. Had it not been for the seriousness of the situation, jokes may have been made about how they were dressed, especially the twin revolvers that Adam had strapped on either side of his hips, and the long rifle he was carrying.
Of course, Joe was similarly armed, Logan had a side arm, and so did Elijah and Cole. Janet, of course, was dressed the same as she was earlier, complete with the six shooter at her side. A knock came at the door, and when Logan opened it up there were the last three.
The first to walk into the room was Paterson, wearing his white cotton pullover shirt with a button up brown cotton vest, and tan trousers. Behind him was Clyde wearing a light brown pull-over shirt, and a pair of worn blueish-gray trousers. The last boy to enter the room was Haden. The expression on his face was priceless as he walked in with a light brown vest with a few large square patches on it. Matching his black hair, he he had a dark brown shirt under his vest, with a lighter brown set of trousers that were frayed at the bottom.
Logan smiled as he looked at the three. Come in guys, we're just waiting on our ride to show up." As if on cue, a smallish boy, maybe eleven years old appeared in the center of the room.
"Hey guys!" He said, took a look around then grinned even more. "You guys look good! Then, with a dramatic flourish of his arms, his clothes changed to match what everyone else was wearing. "What do you think? Do I fit in?"
"You look fine, Bryce." Logan said. "Although, I think you're gun's a bit big."
"Hey! Dad and pop said it was perfect when they made me... oh wait! Oops, you're not talking about that one?" The grin on his face told everyone he knew what they were talking about. At the same time, the huge hand cannon that was sitting on his hip changed, and became a much smaller six shooter.
"I don't know," Paterson began to giggle. "I kinda liked the hand cannon."
Clyde was giggling as well, right along with Paterson. "You're pretty silly. I don't suppose you know a rainbow haired kid that's kinda like you? What was his name?"
Paterson stopped giggling for a few moments and tried to remember. "Ezra? I think he said?"
"Yeah, that was it," Clyde agreed. "Ezra was the name of the kid that brought us here in the first place."
Bryce giggled. "Yup... Ezra's my brother. He asked me to play taxi cab for you guys today, since he's kinda tied up right now. Something about finding the perfect extinct pet for Timmy."
"Oh boy." Adam said smiling. "Who knows what that boy will come up with. I wonder if I should warn Cory." He paused for a second, then he, and Logan both said at the same time "NAH!"
"Well if you guys are ready to go..." Bryce started. "I'll drop you off in the barn on Paterson's property."
Getting nods from everyone, especially Paterson and Clyde, Bryce raised his hand. "Oh before we go. I'm gonna stick with you on this one... just to help make sure the link stays up."
Logan sighed and he shook his head. "I don't think it'll be a problem, but thanks for the help."
"Okay!" Bryce exclaimed in a loud voice. "Who's ready to go back to the past?"
With huge smiles on their faces, both Paterson and Clyde had their hands up before Bryce had finished talking.
Still not completely sold on the entire idea, Haden raised his hand shortly after.
A brief moment later, they found themselves standing in a rather large barn. A large chestnut colored horse was startled for a moment before Paterson ran up to it and threw his arms around the horses neck. "Hey Goldie!" He pulled his head back, and rubbed his forehead to that of the horse. "I missed you girl!"
Adam meanwhile was looking around. Not so much for threats, although he was always on his guard, but he was curious as to what people in this time lived like. The barn was pretty big, for this time period. He could see a couple of horse that were standing in stalls, with several more that were empty. Along one wall there was a ladder that went up onto the second floor, most likely for hay and straw storage. He could also see into a side room that contained all sorts of horse tack.
Paterson dropped his arms from around the horse, and took off towards the door. Clyde right behind him. The rest followed at a somewhat more sedate pace. As soon as he cleared the door, he cried out at the top of his lungs. "PA! BELL!"
Before Adam could even make it to the door, he heard the front door of the house crash open, and a man's voice exclaiming, "PATERSON?"
As soon as Logan and Janet heard the man's voice, they both jumped slightly. Until that point, they could have been wrong. Logan looked at Janet, who was squeezing Joe's hand. From the look on Joe's face, she was squeezing rather hard. She took a deep breath, and started walking towards the door. Logan only a few steps in front of her.
When Logan stepped out of the barn, he saw a familiar large man standing there just as Paterson jumped into his arms. Behind them was a small girl, maybe five or six years old. It may have been ten years for Logan since he last saw his father, but, there was no denying who this man was. He was older, had a more rough face, and a more chiseled body, but he was the same.
The man put Paterson down, then looked towards the rest of the group who was coming out of the barn. He looked at Logan hard for a moment, but then his eyes fell on Janet and Joe. As soon as Brent's eyes met Janet's he stumbled backwards a few steps before falling on his ass. "Janet?!" He breathed out.
"Yeah Brent... It's me." Janet said softly.
"But.. but how?" He asked, still sitting on the ground staring at Janet, then to Logan and back again.
"That'll take a bit of explaining, but... Are you gonna sit there all day, or are you gonna give me a hug." Janet said with a grin.
"I never thought I would see you again!" Tears formed in his eyes. "Logan? It is you. My God!" He got up, then stepped forward uncertainly and took Janet in his arms while reaching over to pull Logan into a three way hug.
For several moments the three of them just hugged tightly, while everyone else stood there watching. All of them, including Joe had a smile on their faces, and more then a few had tears falling.
"Daddy?" Annabella asked quietly. "Who's these people?"
Brent stepped back and pulled her over under his arm. "Sweetheart, I don't know who the rest of these people are, but these are some people I knew before I met you're mommy. This lady is Janet, and this is OUR son Logan." He turned and focused on them, waiting.
Janet turned and motioned Joe to come forward. "This is Joe, his son Adam, and then some very close friends of Adam and Logan, this is Elijah and Cole. And finally we have a friend of the family, Bryce."
Brent had stepped forward and shook both Joe and Adam's hands. When he extended his hand to Cole, the young boy looked to Logan who simply nodded. Brent's eyes rose at that, but didn't say anything. Although he did not miss Adam nodding his approval to Elijah when Brent offered his hand to the other boy. When he got to Bryce, he looked slightly surprised when he saw the color of Bryce's eyes, but didn't say anything other than "Nice to meet you." He took a step back from the group, and motioned towards the house. "Let's go inside, I was just cooking dinner."
They all followed the three of them into the small house, nearly filling it when they all got inside. As soon as they walked through the front door, they found themselves in a medium sized room that very closely resembled some type of studio apartment. On the far side of the room was a wood cooker stove next to a small counter and chopping blocking. Near that was a small table with four chairs set around it.
On the other side of the room were two chairs placed in front of a small fire place. On the back wall behind that was a small counter about two feet off the ground with a bedroll neatly rolled and placed on one side of it.
The back of the room had two wooden doors next to each other, most likely leading into two smaller bedrooms while the wall to the left had another door that lead to a forth room. Small frame windows were on the other two walls that didn't have doors. All and all, the insides of the house seemed like your typical old-style logged cabin house.
Once they were all inside, Brent had the adults sit at the small table, while the kids sat on the floor. "Hmmm. It's a good thing I am cooking a stew. Patterson, you know where the food is kept. Why don't you get us some more so I can add it to the stew." Brent said sounding a bit unsure of himself.
"Okay, Father," Paterson cheerfully replied with a nod and a smile as he was not only glad to be back to a familiar place, but also back to 'his' place. "Come'on guys," he called out to Clyde and Haden as he made his way toward the door. "We keep all the food in small shed in the back of the house."
"Actually, we just had breakfast." Janet said with a grin. "But I'm sure the boys could always eat more."
"I'm sure." Brent sat down on his chair, and almost immediately, Logan was there, in his lap. "Ooof... You've gotten a lot bigger."
Logan just grinned and laid his head on Brent's shoulder. "So... not that I'm not happy to see you, but how did you get here?"
"We traveled by Micky Mouse of course Daddy!" Logan said with a laugh in his voice. "No offense Bryce. It will take a while to explain Daddy, but a lot has happened since the base in Des Moines when I was three."
"I can only imagine." Brent said. "Are you gonna be able to get back?" The concern in his voice evident. "Not that I wouldn't love to have you guys stay here, but... well this isn't your time. Trust me, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be to acclimate."
Moments Later, Paterson, Clyde, and Haden came back through the door. Seeing his dad busy chatting with Janet and Logan, Paterson and Clyde took Haden over to the wood cooker where they started getting the veggies ready to be added into the stew.
"We're going back." Logan said as he sat up in the man's lap. "Hopefully you'll come back with us. That's the entire reason we came, so we could bring you back."
"But... How?" Brent asked in shock. "I mean, what about Paterson and Annabella. I couldn't just leave them here."
"Of course you can't." Janet said softly. "They're more than welcome to come back with us. Paterson's been there for two days already, so he has and idea of what's going on."
"Paterson?" Brent asked, loud enough for his son to hear.
"Yes Pa?" He said as he wiped off his hands, and took the few steps it took to get to the table.
"You've been in the future for the last two days?" Brent asked quietly.
Paterson shot his father an odd look. "Where else did you feel I've been at for the last two days?"
Bryce walked a few steps closer to Paterson. "Um, actually, it's been less than an hour since you left."
"Oh," Paterson replied thoughtfully. "But yeah, I guess I have been in the future, where everything is a lot different from here."
"Yeah," Clyde jumped in. "They've even invented this really awesome food called pizza."
Brent couldn't help but laugh. "Hmmmm... Pizza. I hadn't thought about Pizza in almost a week." He then turned serious. "You know why they came here then right?"
"Yeah," Paterson replied as the smile on his face quickly disappeared. "To ask you about going back to that other place. Universe is it?"
Bryce silently nodded, as he did his best to stay out of the conversation.
Brent's smile also faded as he gently put Logan on his own feet, then slid down so he was kneeling in front of Paterson. "How do you feel about that? Do you want to go back there, or stay here."
Paterson shrugged his shoulders as he looked toward his father, and then toward Clyde and Haden, who were also listening very intensely. "I don't know... After Haden left, I was really hoping I could go back to wherever it was he came from. Then when Ezra came and told me I could go if I wanted, I said yes. At first it was really fun and all, seeing Haden again, and seeing all the weird new stuff there."
As Paterson continued to speak, he lowered his head down. "But... It just ain't the same as here. I don't really know anyone else there, and when Clyde and I hear other kids talking, we really don't know what they are talking about. So I don't really know dad. It's kinda a cool place, but all my friends and all are here. And this is the place that I really know."
Brent took the boy into his strong arms and hugged him to his chest. "I know exactly how you feel. When I first showed up here, I had no idea where I was. Then when I saw some people, and how they were dressed, I had to figure out WHEN I was. It's not easy at all. But, if I know Janet at all, she's already done her best to make you feel as comfortable as possible." He felt Paterson nod his head, so continued. "And I know Logan will help as well."
He pushed Paterson away from him so he could look him in the eyes. "You're getting so big now." He said softly. "You're almost a man. You got a few more years to go, but you're almost there. You're mamma would be so proud of her big boy." He used his thumb to wipe away the tear that was starting to fall.
"I know this is a huge burden to put on your shoulders, but there is no other choice." Brent said softly, everyone else in the room silently watching what was going on. "I would love to go back, but I would be just as happy here, with you and you're sister. Just getting the chance to see Janet and Logan again was more than I could have ever wished for. Annabella hasn't started school yet, and doesn't know many people, she'll be fine no matter what. So the choice is yours. If you want to stay here, then we will. I'm sure since they got here once, you're friends could come back and visit any time they wanted to. If you want to go, then we will all go." The look in Brent's eyes made it clear he didn't like putting the pressure of the choice on his son, but honestly, there was no other choice as far as he knew.
(Narrator)
Things were dire indeed. We'd been pushed from our homes. If that wasn't enough through, they followed us. We've lost count of the days and even weeks that we've ran. We've lost count of the loved ones that we lost along the way. We couldn't slow down, if we did, we'd all die. We're not warriors, we're peaceful simple folk, who just wanted to live with the land, and be left alone. But that was not allowed.
They came with offers of peace and trade. At first they were nice to us. Our land was not great for farming, it was much to rocky, and filled with what we found to be the bane of our existence. To us they were just yellow rocks, not good for much. We're simple folk as I said, those rocks were just pretty things to melt down and form into pretty objects. There was so much of it around, it wasn't anything really special. At least not to us.
At first we didn't want to trade with them, we had everything we needed. What did we need with spices from far away, or carved pottery? Most of it wasn't good for actual use. We like pretty things just as much as anyone else, but it has to serve a purpose as well. Being pretty doesn't feed our families.
They came anyways. They came and discovered our 'greatest treasure.' At least thought of it that way. They came and took it from us. We didn't care, since it wasn't important to us. But then they came to take our land, our homes. When we didn't want to go, they killed. Tell me, why is a shiny rock more important then my life?
We tried to fight, but it was no use. We fled. There was no way we could do anything else. It was fight and die, or run and hope we survived.
Days ran into one another. I don't know how long we ran, but every day we ran. Every day we died as they caught us. They kept saying things about how we took the most valuable with us. We did, but not what they wanted. We took food. What is more valuable than that?
One night they caught of all us. We couldn't run anymore. We'd given up. What was the point. We'd all lost family. We'd all lost a bit of ourselves as we ran. We didn't have the strength anymore. We tried one last time to convince them that all we had was food. They would not listen. I knew we were dead. They would kill us. For what? Hopefully they knew, because I did not.
But then HE came. He came with others, monsters they were, but they saved us. When they came, they destroyed all of them. Hundreds of them died to the five that came with him. Never before, and never since, had I seen such destruction brought about by one... well I hesitate to call him a simple man. A simple man does not command the very demons of Hell.
For that is what those wolf like things surely were. I saw one get stabbed through the stomach with a sword. He roared, and broke it off, inside of him. He then continued his rampage through those that wished to take our lives.
When the fighting finished, we were huddled in a group, sure that they would feast on our hearts next, as they feasted on the hearts of those they had already killed. But that is not what happened.
"Be at ease friends." The man said as he walked slowly towards us. "There has been too much death on this day."
Stunned, that's what we were. Here is this man, this very incarnation of War, of death and destruction, telling us that too much blood had been shed. What were we to think? "Rest easy tonight." He continued. "Tomorrow I will bring you to a place that you may live in peace."
What could we do? We did not rest easy, that's for sure. How could we after seeing that? All night we stayed huddled together. The adults among us doing their best to reassure the rest, but really, what could they say. Really the only comfort they could give us was that, if the man/god, and his beasts wanted to kill us they would have done so by now.
Who am I, you ask. The name would mean nothing as no one would remember, for ease though, you may call me Ishu. I had just entered my eleventh year, a man almost. Well I was the man of our family now. My two older brothers, and my father died trying to protect us. My mother and youngest sister were left behind. They were too slow. Forever shall I weep when I think about having to leave them. Yet I have two other siblings, my nine years old brother, and six years old sister, that I must now care for, as best I can.
Some how we managed to sleep. It was not restful. I am sure I will be haunted till my dying days, forced to relive what has happened. All because of some who believe rocks are more important than life. I woke first. All around me were people sleeping fitfully. Looking around I saw the red eyes of the demons out, away from us, watching. Were they watching to make sure we didn't get hurt, or that we didn't get away. At that point I did not know.
The man/god was sitting silently near a small fire. His eyes met mine, and quickly I looked down. When I dared look back up, he was still looking at me, however, the look on his face was kind, and inviting. It was hard to picture this man doing what I had seen him do the night before. Not even the demon wolves had caused as much death as this man had.
He beckoned me over, and strangely I felt myself wanting to. Carefully I stood up, and made my way through the throng of sleeping bodies, the few hundred left from my village. When I got to the small fire and man, I couldn't keep my eyes to anything other than the flames. "Please sit." The man said in a soft, comforting voice.
I sat, and he handed me a small cup. Hesitantly I took it, and smell it. It was tea. I took a small sip, and could not help the sigh that escaped my lips. It was some of the finest I had ever had. I tried to fight back the tears as I took another sip, it was made just as if my own mother had made it. On the third sip, I lost the battle with my tears, and they flowed freely. I changed a look at the man, expecting to see mirth at my misery, but I did not. I saw compassion, not pity, but caring and.. and understanding.
"I know you have lost much." He started in his soft voice. "If there was anything to be done to bring back those that you have lost, I would do so. But that is not something I, or any other I know can do. I only wish I had gotten here sooner." Hear the words as he spoke them, seeing the pain in his eyes, and the tears that fell, made me believe what he had said.
"Later today we shall start a journey to a place that know. You will be safe there to start you're lives anew. For those that wish it, I will even teach you to defend yourselves, to fight the way that I do."
I could not believe what he was saying. There is no way that any of us could fight like a god! He saw the disbelief in my eyes and chuckled softly. "Child, If you had the heart to do it, I could teach you to fight like that. What you saw was nothing more than years of training and dedication to protecting those that can not protect themselves."
I did not believe him then. When we journeyed, it was long and difficult. He did not push us, but always we walked. The demon wolves were always there as well. Out of sight mostly, but I often caught sight of them running along side of the group. Sprinting ahead to scout out our path, or dropping back to make sure that we were not being followed. I do not know if they found anything, but our trip was uninterrupted.
Often I found myself walking next to the man. Listening to his stories of his life. I got comfortable enough to ask questions, and soon found myself learning from the man. Not how to fight, but how to look at the world around me. Why the weak were important, and the powerful that needed to be put in their place. To this man, power did not make everything you do right. As often than not, power corrupted the very soul of a person. That part I knew all too well.
When we finally did get to the place he was taking us to, we wept. It was beautiful, serene, the people there invited us in with open arms, as if they knew we were coming. The animals did not shy away from us. At first I was shocked by this, thinking they would at least run from the demon wolves. Then I noticed they had not come into the valley with us.
Seeing my question, the man answered it with out me having to ask. "They have chosen to wait outside this valley. The peace and tranquility of this place is something that they would not spoil." It was strange, but I felt sorry for them at that point. They had safe guarded us through out our journey here, yet, they were barred from entering. I found myself wanting to go and thank them. Demon wolf or not, they had protected us. Again he was able to answer my question before it was even asked. "There is a way to thank them, but that time is not yet. They have done what I have asked, and now it is time for them to go back and tend to their other duties." I wanted to ask what those were, but the man moved away to talk to our elders.
We started a new life in that valley. The people there, the Shaolin, helped us to create a new life for us. The man stayed with us for many years. Teaching us, living with us, sharing his view of the world with us, the people he'd saved. When I had a son, I named him for the man who had become a father to me. That is where my story ends, and the story of my son begins. He is not known by that name any longer. Not because it was not important, for it always will be. But because he was given a new name. One that you now bear. He was called simply 'Dragon.'
The room remained silent for several long moments as everyone waited to see what Paterson's response would be.
"Paterson?" Haden asked softly as he walked over to stand next to Clyde. "I know this is your decision and all... And well... I'm probably not the best at it, but if you do decide to come back, I will help explains things to you and show you around as best as I can."
"Thanks, Haden," Paterson whispered as he looked up toward him. "But I can't ask you to do that. I mean, you always seem to be so busy and have so much other important stuff to do. Whenever I asked Daileass or anyone else... even mama Janet, everyone would always say how the stuff you make helps so many people out and all. I'm just one person."
"So?" Haden challenged. "One of the things the clan has taught me is that when someone is special or important to you, you make time for them."
Paterson nodded as he saw Bryce standing off to the side, swinging his arms around, looking up toward the ceiling. "Bryce?"
"Huh?" Bryce asked. "Oh, well, I wasn't going to say anything, but since you asked, I just figured I would point out all the other friends that you made, especially the ones that you and Clyde were playing with this morning."
"Yeah, but that was different," Paterson challenged. "Daileass asked us to keep an eye on them."
"Daileass might have asked you to keep an eye on them, but the reason they were laughing and having so much fun was because they liked you." Bryce replied.
Paterson nodded and sighed. When he first got here, and saw Goldie again, he was pretty certain that he would want to stay. But now, he wasn't so sure. Everything he said was true, all his friends were here, and he knew this place the best. But then, there were so many other friends out there to be made, and so much new stuff to learn about. If he stayed here, he would probably continue to work the farm, maybe one day get a wife, have kids of his own, and teach them to work the farm. But that would be about it. If he did go back with his dad and everyone else, then he would... well, there were so many possibilities, he had no way to guess what he might end up doing.
Finally, with his mind made up, he slowly nodded his head. "It might be a little scarier than staying here. But I think I would like to go back to Haden and Logan's time."
"Are you sure, son?" Brent asked seriously as he gently turned Paterson around so that he could look into the boy's eyes.
"Yeah," Paterson nodded with a little more certainty. "I am."
Logan smiled as he walked over and hugged Paterson. "Good... I wanted to get to know my little brother better. Oh, and you don't have to worry about Goldie. I know you don't know it right now, by the UNIT has got more than a few working farms. All the animals you have could easily come back with us. And if you're more comfortable there, I'm sure the guys running the farms would love the help of some guys that REALLY know what they're doing."
"Really?" Both Paterson and Clyde asked.
"They are not going to do the same thing to Goldie that they did to those fish fingers, are they?" Paterson asked seriously. "I don't really feel like seeing Goldie turned into horse fingers or anything."
Everyone in the room laughed hysterically for a few moments before Logan was able to shake his head. Wiping away a few tears of laughter, Logan threw his arm around Paterson. "No. They'll take real good care of all of them, and you can visit any time you want. You know how easy it is for us to go to different places. All you'd need to do is ask, and you'll get to go see them."
"Yeah!" both boys cheered.
Brent grinned as he stood back up. "Let me get a few things, then we can go." He quickly hurried off, Janet moving after him to help.
"If there's anything besides the animal you wanna keep, you better get it now." Logan said to both Paterson and Clyde.
Paterson thought for a moment. "Actually, there is one thing I should probably get." He ran into his bedroom and after a few moments of rummaging around, came back out holding a small wooden box. "Okay, I think this is pretty much everything."
A few moments later, Brent and Janet came back into the both carrying a few small leather bags, and Brent carrying a small box as well. Annabella had also gone and grabbed a few things, the most important being a small, hand sewn doll. Brent looked and saw both of his children, from this time, ready to go, then looked at Logan and Janet. "Okay I guess we're ready to go."
Everyone started to file out of the house, and Brent, as well as Paterson took a long look around, making sure they remembered every detail of their home. When Brent finally nodded and sighed, Logan turned to Bryce and nodded. A moment later, they found themselves all back in Janet and Joe's bedroom, in the Tzar's Palace in Russia.
The boy woke, his head was throbbing, but his vision clear. The dream had been intense, and he was sure it would be with him for a long time to come. Before he moved he took stock of what was going on around him. He was laying next to a fire, and covered with a light blanket. Behind his head was a soft pillow, the most comforting thing though was under his right hand. The 'Staff of the Dragon' rested comfortably next to him. No matter what happened, he still had his staff, still had it's protections.
The demon/boy he fought came back to his mind. He was some sort of demon, he had to be. The way he looked, with the ridges on his forehead, to the way he fought. He could not be normal. He'd been trained by some of the best fighters, yet this boy had bested him easily. Yes, he had managed to land a few blows on the strange looking boy, however, he knew from the first moment he attacked, the boy was not attacking back, simply defend. Fighting a completely defensive battle is much more difficult, requires so much more control, and skill, then fighting to win does. Who ever that boy/demon was, he was not normal.
Sitting up, he looked around and saw what was going on. The demon/boy was directing the others... "DEMON WOLVES!" He cried out before he could stop himself.
Immediately, the demon/boy spun around, the swords on his side clearing the scabbards faster then the boy could see. He looked for danger, yet finding none, his eyes fell on the boy, then behind him. Quickly he put the swords away as he bowed lowly.
The boy turned to look behind him and gasped. It had been a VERY long time, but every Dragon knew this man on sight, even if they'd never met him before.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, and bowed deeply as well. "Master." He said breathlessly.
"It is okay child." Master Takamura said as he stepped in front of the boy. When the boy straightened Takamura took him into a light hug. The boy couldn't help it. As soon as his head fell against the man's chest he started to cry. He barely heard as Takamura spoke to the other boy. "It is okay my son. He mistook the Pack for the Demon Wolves he knows of."
"I see." The boy heard, but then nothing else as he cried. There was no way of knowing how long he spent in the man's arms. Crying out his lose, and weeping bitter tears over the events that had happened. The man's arms around him were comforting, the words he spoke, the boy didn't understand, but they helped to calm his soul. When finally the boy pulled back, the old man smiled down at him. "I am glad you are feeling better."
"Thank you, Master." He said softly, and sheepishly.
"Do not be ashamed of your tears child. They are just as much a part of you as everything else is." When the boy nodded, Takamura smiled. "Good. Now, I would like to introduce you to someone." Takamura turned the boy around, and motioned Chang over. "This is Chang, my greatest student, and also my adopted son."
Chang bowed to the boy then spoke. "I am honored to meet you 'Dragon'. I am sorry I did not get here sooner. As soon as I knew what was going on here, I came. But it was not in time."
The Dragon was unsure. This was obviously a demon child, but THE Master had called him son. He would never dream of dishonoring THE Master by his actions. "I am sure you did the best you could. What happened today was bound to happen. Ever since the Emperor found out about this village, he's been determined to get us to serve him. It looks like I will have to go into hiding again. I just hope that my presence doesn't cause another village to be destroyed."
"It will not." Chang said, his eyes suddenly blazing a bright blue. "First we will tend to the dead here, then we will go 'speak' to the Emperor. He WILL pay for what was done here.