Blood and Water: An 'Into the Badlands' Fanfiction (ON HOLD)

Chapter 3: The Long Journey

Chapter 3: The Long Journey

"You must remain focused on your journey to greatness."

- Les Brown

They had to walk on foot.

Luckily, the Clippers who had attacked were dead, so Antigone and her Firebirds did not have to flee anymore. They had been walking for hours and had made it far enough away to take a breather, cleaning themselves off at a stream. Phoenix territory had been entirely invaded and no one knew if it was ever going to be safe to return. Antigone was terrified for the citizens of her territory. She could only hope that they had found a way to escape and tried to think of a way to contact them. However, the first order of business was finding out where her and her Firebirds were to settle. Erastos suggested that they go to a refugee camp, but Antigone insisted that they turn to Butterfly territory for help.

Finally, Erastos voiced his concern.

"The Widow has her own motives in this war just like everyone else," he said, phrasing it to seem more like a war strategy and less of an attack on the Butterflies. "It would be safer to find a refugee camp so that we don't get involved in any more trouble. We don't need to draw anymore attention to ourselves and we wouldn't want to burden her with refugees. She's probably not equipped for that right now."

Once again, Erastos had a very valid point, and Antigone was so grateful that he was there for her.

"You're right," she said. "Where do you suggest that we go?"

"We could try a Totemist camp," he said. "They're usually very accepting when it comes to refugees. They take in pretty much anyone."

Totemists were a group of people who were similar to nomads. They did not belong to a barony and they lived together in small settlements that were in the outer territories of the Badlands. Totemists were religious and spiritual people who were opposed to violence. They were known to take in and heal refugees from wars, particularly wars between barons. There was a good chance that if Antigone and her Firebirds found a Totemist camp, then they would be in good hands.

The other Firebirds wholeheartedly agreed.

"But we would only be putting ourselves in more danger and endangering the Totemists," Antigone said. "You know how they feel about violence, and if the Clippers track us there, we'll all be dead meat."

The Firebirds murmured a mixture of agreements and disagreements.

"We don't have to stay there for too long," Erastos reasoned. "Just until we find a place to migrate."

Antigone considered it. "Perhaps we can ask Penrith for help," she suggested.

Penrith was the leader of the Totemists. He was an elderly widower whose daughter Lydia went on to become the Baroness of Armadillo territory. Antigone and her family had met them both once, years ago, when Phoenix territory was suffering from a raging famine. They had run into Lydia, who was a teenager at the time, while they were venturing out to pluck some wild berries. She warned them that the berries were poisonous and suggested some better food options back at the Totemist camp. The family followed her and was welcomed by Penrith, the leader of a group of very kind pacifists who gave them plenty of bounty in exchange for nothing except good will.

"Who's Penrith," one of the Firebirds, a middle-aged woman named Beatrice, asked.

"The leader of the Totemists," Antigone replied. "He and his daughter were kind to my family and I once."

"If you trust him, then I trust him," said another Firebird, an elderly man named Bilal.

The rest of the Firebirds agreed and Erastos looked to Antigone for the final word.