Bug collector

chapter 7

Swiriya launched her body off of her ikran and onto the rocky ground, the chirping of bugs ringing distant in her ears as all she could hear was the rampant beating of her heart.

What was that?

What had she seen?

What did it mean?

She pulled her hair with her hands, the braids and trinkets clanging against her skin as she ran into her hut, not even disturbed by the absence of her siblings, she fell onto her knees, gasping for ears, sitting down into her cot, she looked at her hands, eyes deceiving her when they made blood appear in her palms, making Swiriya shut her eyes tight enough to block out everything.

She regulated her breath, in for 3 out for 5, taking her hands out of her now thoroughly messed up hair, her back hit the decently soft cot, she had not even realised how exhausted she was until now, barely having time to close her eyes before falling deep asleep.

...

A dreamless sleep followed, her head felt like it was washed with ice water as she jumped awake for no reason other than routine, she held her face in her hands for a second before getting up and walking to the wall, looking at the pendant, grimacing, and tying it on, she had duties she could not excuse, first, it was a patrol around the village, then, she had to meet Norm.

A brisk walk around the stronghold was enough for Swiriya to count as patrol, her next destination was she shack for the science guys, or better said, the hut next to it meant for the Avatars, where all the business happened.

Swiriya had sometimes aided her father, she knew how it worked, she thought as she walked to the table, clearing her throat, making Nrom look at her and start his whole spiel, he put up a hologram map, the rail they had previously destroyed marked red, and a rail further away marked green.

Calculations scribbled on a white board they had somehow aquired, the hologram itself avign timestamps on it, looking similar to a live feed of sorts.

"Sup Norm" she nodded back at him.

"So, what am I looking at?"

"There's a back up, its the longer path, they never take it, but since we destroyed this one" He pointed to the rail they ruined in the last mission. His hands accentuating his points as he waved them around.

"They have no other choice, i did the calculations, its coming in at about 4pm next week, accounting for the fact the train might be more armoured, and the path is almost twice as long" Swiriya looked intently at the map, hping if she looked at it enough the answers would just pop out at her.

"Do you think they did the calculations too?"

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Well, we hit this train" she pointed to the old, now destroyed rail

"Don't you think they'll see that thai rail is the closest and expect an attack? There could be more back up waiting"

"Well yeah- but i think we could handle it"

"Norm i get that you are more experienced than me, but i dont think that we could potentially lose a few dozens over loose calculations- this is just estimations there could be more backup- how do you even know that its hitting next week?"

"We kinda have a mole in bridgehead?" he quickly uttered out, framing it more as a question, shutting his eyes tightly, as Swiriya's mouth dropped to the ground.

"Well fuck" Swiriya muttered

Norm chuckled.

"Any more info?"

Her slightly agreeing tone made norm pump his fist in the air.

"Yes- actually um, the train itself will be more armoured, it will give us a bigger window to offrail it but we need to approach the offrailing itself differently-"

Norm ranted on for far longer, Swiriya made up her mind fairly quickly.

"Alright."

"Wha?-"

"Im giving you the go ahead, but i need to be involved in the planning, and in the fight."

"I was kinda thinking you maybe...lead?" the last word was meak, making Swiriya second guess herself.

"Lead?"

"Yeah, uh, you're Olo'eyktan now, i thought we had more time but, you're smart, you and your father are incredibly similar." He extended his arm out to her, for a handshake, Swiriya chuckled.

"What is this? Am i giving away my soul or something?"

"See, that, that's why you're your dad" Norm laughed, and Swiriya extended her arm to his, firmly shaking his hand.

...

She sat for lunch, on the seat reserved for Olo'eyktan, the seat for Tsahik taken up by her grandmother. The food was delicious, but she could eat cold, dead fish and still moan in delight, as she was incredibly tired from Olo'eyktan work.

"How was your day, Swiriya?" her grandmother engaged in conversation, trying to perhaps distract her from something.

"It was good, grandmother" they both ate quietly after that, Swiriya sitting up first from the vast crowd of navi when the time for eating was over, knowing it was customary for Olo'eyktan to leave first, continue to deal with the clan business, she was strapped up with her gear, the bow on her back and a knife sheath on her thigh along with a quiver of arrows. She was walking over to the hunters waiting for her in a far corner, their Ikran ready, and the hunters ready to hunt for dinner, when she again, much like last night bumped into someone.

"Oh!-"

She recognised the voice immediately, and instead of watching the person fall she grabbed their, or for a better word, her hand, chuckling.

"We gotta stop meeting like this Ewkiro" She pulled the woman up to her feet, her hands already on her skirt dusting it off.

"Mhm, yes" she nodded, her eyes drifting to the sand, trying to avoid Swiriya's eye's.

"Would you like to join us for some hunting?"

"No, sorry, i have other business to attend to"

"Oh" Swiriya's face slightly saddened.

"Well, have a nice day, Kiro"

"Huh?"

Swiriya's face reddened slightly when she realised what she had said, coughing as an attempt to cover it up.

"Oh- uh sorry my voice got cut of you know, have a nice day, Ewkiro"

"Sure, you too, Riya" Ewkiro smirked lightly, them both somehow knowing this was by far not the last time they would meet like this.