The Final Push

Chapter Five: In the Heart of The Enemy

~Breccan~

As soon as we had left behind the compound, the other boys turned and looked at each other.

"We have to stay together," one of them said.

"I agree," said another. "It's our best chance of survival." All of them were nodding in agreement and looking at me expectantly.

"Well, you guys can stick together but I'm heading off on my own," I pulled the hood of my gray jacket up.

"Breccan, please stay with us; we could really use your help," the other boys looked at me pleadingly.

"Sorry fellas but I'm staying by myself until I get back into The Panthers," I pulled my black bandana over my mouth and walked in the opposite direction they were heading.

One of them called after me, "You'll come crawling back!" I just ignored them and wove my way through a few trees. They might just be wandering around, but I had a plan. Valker had said that if I proved myself, I could come back, so that's what I was going to do. I heard that The Speed clan was moving around and they were camped out not too far from here. I was going to try to talk to them and get them to accept me into their clan. My plan was to gain their trust and destroy their clan from the inside out. If I did that, Valker would have to let me back into The Panthers.

My first step was to find them. I had also heard that The Speed was positioned somewhere near The Wings' compound so I should probably start heading that way. It was probably about a week's journey on foot, give or take a day. I pulled a map from my pack and studied it. From my position, I should head due east. It would be quicker to go south and cut across but I would encounter a large stretch of open plain where I would be visible for over a day. I couldn't take a chance that I might be attacked, so east it was. I put away my map and started walking in the direction I was supposed to head.

I thought about The Speed; they were just as tough as The Panthers but they weren't as civilized. Some people called them brutes but they were good allies to have. They had moved from their old compound on the ridge because there had been a nasty forest fire around them and it had caught their settlement on fire as well. There wasn't any water nearby except for some wells that they had to dig themselves, so they had watched their homes burn. Nobody was sure where they were going to settle next. They might be going there and try to combine with The Wings. That clan sure had plenty of land to take them in but it would be a rough match; the violent Speed with the peaceful Wings.

I shook my head and kept walking. All these thoughts were mucking up my brain. I needed to stay focused on the task at hand. That was getting to The Speed and getting accepted. I sighed and walked on.

Time passed as I switched from walking to jogging to running and back again. I kept going on and on. I ignored all the aches and pains in my body along with the rumbling of my stomach. I wouldn't make it to The Speed by stopping and taking my sweet time, so I kept traveling. I stayed on course till it was midday and my stomach wouldn't let me go any further. It was then that I sat down against a tree and opened up my pack. Inside, my mother had packed me food that would stay good for a while. I picked out a bag of seeds and my canteen. It was full of water but I drained nearly half of it. I would need to find a fresh source of water sometime today.

I ate my food in silence for a little while. As I was finishing, I stretched out my legs. They were tight and already hurting. I would need to suck it up if I wanted to make it to The Speed. I did a few little stretches to loosen up and then I packed up my things.

...

The rest of my day passed uneventfully until the moment when I was at a freshwater stream. I was filling up my canteen in the evening light when I saw it. A small, barely living rabbit scurried under a bush. Immediately I tore after it. My dagger was out of its pouch and in my hand as I pushed aside the yellow-brown bush and looked around. The rabbit saw me and started to hop away but I threw my dagger quickly and it hit the little creature straight through the middle of the body. It was dead upon impact. That didn't really matter though because this was food. Fresh meat.