Ark: Ascending

A Hero's Welcome

Raven's pov

The next couple of days were boring. I ate, slept, drank water, and healed. It all about drove me up the wall so to speak. I wanted to go home, back to base, and see Kane. I missed him and I knew he was worried about me.

I sent him a written note with the rest of my team on the day that they left so hopefully he would know that I was ok. Relatively speaking. Getting speared through the leg by a metal projectile is no joke. I haven't heard back from my partner, then again getting messages out of base was somehow harder than getting them to base. Something about security blah blah blah.

I couldn't care less about the security of the Imperial Guard. While they might have taken me in, I knew that I was nothing more than a slave to the system, a pawn in their game of war. I was sick of it to be honest. Hence the frequent attempts to run away.

Sometimes it feels like Kane and Vy are the only reason that I stay in the first place. I've talked to Kane about taking Vy and leaving but he prefers the relative stability of our lives. Bah! Stability my ass! I've nearly died several times in the last month due to the trying raids that Sy has us run.

Something about "practicing for when the real threat comes." The threat that Sy is always going on about is the Imperial Guard itself. No other tribe on this god's forsaken island has the manpower or resources to stand against us.

How unfortunate.

I do see Kane's point though. If we were to strike out on our own, we would not only have to contend with the dinosaurs and other tribes but possibly the Imperial Guard as well. If I know anything about the commander, it's how controlling he is. Sy would never let us live if we left. There was a reason that most people didn't try to run away from the Imperial Guard. People who spoke out against the Guard or the Supreme Leader often vanished, turning up dead with the slash marks of a raptors claws, or the bite marks of a rex.

Either way, very dead. My thoughts turned to Kane. I knew I couldn't risk losing him. I couldn't risk losing Vy either. I knew that if I were to succeed in getting away from the Imperial Guard, they would follow. I couldn't have that.

I turned as the door to the medic's office opened and the medic, Kat, and Sy walked in. My gaze passed briefly over Sy with cool indifference to fix on Kat. I suspected that I knew what was happening but I wanted to hear it from her.

"You're coming home today Raven," Kat said, walking over to me and looping her arm around my shoulders, a smile on her face. "boy is the base going to love you tonight!"

My team leader lead me away with a cool smile, arm tightening around my shoulders as she hustled me out of the infirmary.

"Why wou— you know what never mind..." I cut myself off at the look Kat shot me.

Keep walking, no talking... her face seemed to say.

I was more than a little bit confused as Kat frog marched me toward the Forward Operating Base's stable. She guided me to a raptor stall and began tacking the dinosaur.

"Sy wants to hide your injury by giving you a hero's welcome so do try to hide that limp of yours," Kat spoke as she lead the raptor out of its stall, "I recommend keeping a personal flask as well, Sy was talking with the medic about trying to spike your drinks with a calming serum and I know for a fact that you would seriously think about killing him if I didn't warn you."

The raptor snapped at the air as if it could sense just how charged the emotions in the stable were.

"I'm seriously thinking about killing him for even thinking that he could pull a stunt like that." I say, gaze hard as I mount the raptor, my mouth a thin, scowling line.