《The Bear - First chronicle of the Children of the Bear》31. Deadline
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Dyla stayed stone faced as Bryn roared at his men. A week had passed since Lyra was due back and Bryn's patrols had turned up nothing. Bryn suspected his daughter had gone to Taka, but he couldn't expect his scout back from there for at least another day.
It had been a strained year for Dyla's family. Fenrin seemed to be distancing himself from his father, turning more towards the friends he had made among his Bryn’s men. Bryn had become even more stern and ill tempered. Dyla knew it was because he was experiencing something he had never before. Doubt. Doubt that he had made the right call with Lyra.
It also didn't help that Bryn's men had become so numerous, they were becoming hard to handle. It seemed every month, Bryn was chopping a subordinate in half for disobeying rules or acting without orders. Dyla and Bryn traveled the ever increasing border of Bryn's influence and despite the wealth and manpower he gained, Bryn seemed less happy than before.
As Bryn finished tossing his unfruitful scouts out, he lumbered over and Dyla took his arm as he grumbled, "Useless, the lot of them."
Dyla waited a moment and when she was sure his tirade was truly over, she said, "They don't know her and what she's capable of." Bryn grunted and Dyla continued, "Perhaps, my lord, you should send Fenrin after her."
A low growl escaped the Bear but Dyla could tell he was thinking about it. She knew that he was afraid Fenrin would leave too, although he'd never admit it. But Dyla and Bryn both knew that, besides Bryn himself, the person with the best chance of tracking down Lyra was her twin brother.
Not only did Fenrin know his sister's abilities and temperament, but he was especially talented at finding people. He also was a natural leader, his abilities quickly earning other’s respect. Fenrin the Wolf was the name he'd earned among the men and Dyla was sure he'd be able to sniff out his sister no matter where she’d hidden herself.
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So, Dyla watched the thoughts race through Bryn's eyes and helped him walk through them. "What do you plan to do with Lyra when you bring her back?"
She knew Bryn would give a different answer depending on who was in the room, so she had waited until they were alone. Bryn muttered and finally said, "See what she's learned."
"And then?"
"Put her to work. She wanted to work, well, if she's learned enough then she'll do it."
Dyla nodded but her mouth frowned. They both knew it was unlikely Lyra would willingly accept a place under Bryn. Not without an apology and that was as likely as the sun falling from the sky.
"If your men cannot retrieve her, perhaps at least carry a message?"
Bryn tore away. "She has no choice. She will come back."
"My lord, I believe you are the only one who can make her do anything. But send Fenrin with a warning first. At the very least, he'll create the path to her."
"If they can't find her in Taka, then maybe."
Dyla nodded and took her victory.
The next day, Fenrin listened as the scout from Taka gave the Bear his report.
"They told us everything they knew. Said, she'd told them to. Jod and Frin went west on that lead and Benno is keeping an eye on the city, but there's still no trace of your daughter."
Fenrin had to respect the fact that the man gave this disappointing report without showing any fear. Even from his place, leaning against a back doorway, Fenrin could tell Bryn was working up into a rage. To everyone's surprise, Bryn spoke steadily, if not calmly, "Very well. You are dismissed." The man bowed hastily and left.
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"Ulris."
The steward appeared. "Yes, sir."
"You and Fenrin meet me in my office."
Ulris bowed and Fenrin slipped away, beating his father there and waiting by the doorway.
With a nod from Bryn, Fenrin opened the door and they both went inside. He watched his father, his grey eyes noting every movement and expression. He was filled with curiosity but he tried to dispel it.
He didn't want to think about Lyra, but somehow he couldn't stop himself from going to hear every report. He couldn't untangle the mess of emotions tied to his sister so he tried to ignore it. That mess sat in his stomach as he watched his father and his father watched him.
Finally Bryn spoke, his voice a low growl, "Go find you sister. Give her a message."
Fenrin didn't react but every sense was heightened and he waited for each new word with an anticipation he didn't fully understand.
"Tell her she must return. That if she has learned and grown, she will have a place here at your side." Bryn's fists clenched and his eyes grew dangerous. "But if she does not come back, I will drag her back myself!"
Face grim, Fenrin nodded to his father, repeating the message faithfully and assuring him it'd be done. Half of him didn't want this assignment, didn't want to see his sister again...or did he just not want her to come back?
He went and packed his bag but he couldn't shake one thought.
Fenrin the Wolf. More like Fenrin the Dog. Go fetch, Fenrin. Go fetch the sister who left when you couldn't.
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Tales From the Terran Republic
We tried, you know… We really did. We tried so hard to be… better… We actually were better once. No, seriously. We were enlightened, generous, peaceful… Stop laughing! We were! We were peaceful, dammit! No, I’m not “tugging your winglets.” It’s true! Look, if you’re going to be like that, I’ll just push the launch button right now. See ya, don’t wanna be… Oh, you ARE interested after all? Ok. Hey, I just got word that your captain will be ok. We were able to get him into a med pod quick enough… Of course, we tried to save him. Just what sort of people do you think we are?... Now that was harsh… completely accurate, mind you… but harsh. Anyway, like I was saying, we were a prosperous, peaceful people, and war had been nothing but a distant memory for over five hundred years before it happened... Before Yellowstone happened! You don’t mean to tell me that you didn’t know about that… massive supervolcano? Blew the Hell out of our planet? Two years where nothing grew?… Anyway, that’s what started it, the Sol Wars… Oh, you have heard about those, huh? Well, needless to say, all that enlightened, generous, and peaceful didn’t exactly make it through the two years of complete famine and the wars that followed… Maybe it’s more accurate to say the enlightened, generous, and peaceful among us didn’t survive… (laughs)… You’re right. It does explain a lot, doesn’t it? Probably for the best, though. “Enlightened” and “peaceful” aren’t really all that useful out here in the galaxy at large, are they? That reminds me; thanks for the ship. You guys did a great job with this one. Oh, don’t be like that. At least it was us what got you and not one of the really messed groups like the Harlequin or the Black Angels. We’re just going to take your shit. It could be worse… trust me... Well, anyway, we loaded the life pods down with some good food, and you guys can drink alcohol, right? We put in a couple of fifths in there, too. It’s about forty percent ethanol, so be warned. Most species will want to dilute that. We’ll drop your wounded off somewhere safe once they are stable. Your fleet patrols this area fairly regularly, and we’ll drop the distress beacon right before we jump… Well, It’s been fun and no hard feelings, right?… Oh, you want to know some more? Sure. I got time to kill… Let me tell you about this one pirate and her crew. They’re Terran scum, but they are still… Why do we hate the Terrans? Hoo Boy… How much time you got? *** It’s the thirty-second century, and humanity is now part of a galactic civilization comprised of hundreds of worlds. Humanity has been savaged by natural disaster and war and has been fractured into several separate populations, all of which loathe each other (some things never change). This is a gritty drama-driven rambling tale that swings between action, drama, horror, and plenty of very, very dark comedy. Warning: contains adult situations, absolutely horrible language, bathroom humor, implied ultra-violence, actual ultra-violence, drugs, alcohol, pirates, mercs, xeno prostitutes, moral ambiguity, deranged AI's with identity issues, giant commie space slugs, and a poor little frog girl who just wants to sell coffee. Updates twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday. *** Note: This story can get rough. Those warning tags? They aren't for show. I recently received a review and as a result I want to make one thing clear. Portraying something is NOT endorsing it! Many "heavy" topics are touched upon and just because a character says or does something does not imply that the author feels the same way. I selected the "Anti-Hero Lead" and "Villainous Lead" tags for a reason. Rule number one of this story is "no good guys". A good description of the story is, "bad people doing bad things to worse people". There are a few good characters, here and there, but they are the exception to the rule. If you want a hard-hitting, exciting, gritty sci-fi story that doesn't pull any punches, or shies away from "difficult" concepts, welcome! If you are set on a pure and noble knight that runs around and slays conveniently evil monsters and rescues totally innocent princesses... or your sensibilities are easily offended... You're not going to be happy with this one.
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8 189Mystic Quest
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8 137Un-usual
Maria Smith is an American Resident and a very bright student. She is beautiful. Lately her family broke. Her parents got divorced. Her mother had won the custody over her in the courts. Her mother being an Indian decided to send her to a boarding school in India. She did not want Maria to get affected by the divorce. So Maria was going to India. In a boarding school in the city of Mumbai called Emperial International School for her high school. Arjun Kashyap is a student in the Emperial Intenational School. He is also in the boarding.He doesn't talk to people much, he has his own group. He has quite some influence in the school and there is a rumour in the air that he can fight. He is from a village in Kolkata and is not much into the ways of the polite society.
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