Late evening crickets chirped their raucous song, without any caring concern of other creatures that tried to sleep at night. The moon dipped far into the horizon, reflecting its soothing light over the desert landscape. Chilly evening air flowed through Grusha’s soft hair, draping in between the small gusts of wind. Eyes closed, she listened carefully to every bit of life, the shuffling of rabbits popping in between hols, ants scurrying about to collect nutrients for their queen. A coyote far in the distance laughing its bark as it scavenged for deadmeat.

It felt strange, so much life and yet she was not a part of it. For the greater part of her existence, she was the natural entropy of life. But that was all in the past now. There was so much to pay back, her past had been a dark one with so much blood in her hands.

Pebbles rattled from behind, and a little gasp before a tiny figure jumped behind the small boulder that the little girl hid behind. Tiny curious eyes peeked around the boulder, wafts of foggy breath filled the air inconspicuously.

Grusha sighed. Ignoring her unwelcome guest.

Stretching as she stood back up, she walked away from the little rat that trailed her wherever she went. Grusha’s stubbed leg over the past six years had fully regrown, not even a scratch was left, as if it had never been gone to begin with. She slowly digested everything that had happened over the past 24 hours.

The little girl followed Grusha, despite her obvious attempts to get her as far away from her as possible. Her hair quilled, shivering to intimidate the girl. Instead of being afraid, she awed in glee as if she witnessed something marvelous. Grusha conceded, not knowing what to do. Nothing fazed the rat that trailed her.

“What do you want Agatha?”

She gasped and jumped behind a small rock, breathing heavily for a little girl.

“I know you’re there, there is no point in hiding.”

She poked out from behind the boulder, stifling a sniffle, the desert evening’s proved to be treacherously cold nights. The little girl was not dressed appropriately for the cold evening air, she wore a sleeveless tee with a teddy face on it and blue shorts, barefoot too. Of course she was going to have the sniffles, she would get a cold if she did not get any proper shelter soon.

Checking her two sides, she waited to see if Hammer was nearby to take her back. Though she knew Hammer was nowhere near to be found, wondering if she was seeking for her daughter. The warrior was nowhere to be found.

“Go back to bed, Agatha.” Grusha ordered.

“I’m not sleepy.” She squeaked.

“Even so, you should not be out here. A rabid coyote could snatch you away, and your mother will be sad.”

“But you won’t let that happen.”

“How could you be so certain?”

“Because you are here! Momma said you fought armies of people and won.”

“Enyo tells ridiculous tales, she made them up to make them appear much more glorious than what they really were.”

Grusha was not lying, she knew exactly what Lady Hammer was talking. Those moments of her life were never glorious, they had been dutiful times. Much to her displeasure, regretful times at that. The town she destroyed days before meeting with Aput was well fortified, before it was just background noise, the screaming from young and old alike. Now, the noise sent shivers down her spine, unable to believe what she was before.

“Nuh-uh, momma promised me. Momma never breaks promises.”

“I can’t argue with you there. Come on, let’s head back. I wouldn’t want to get your mother’s hair into a twist with you wandering about in the middle of nowhere.”

“I don’t wanna. I like it better out here.”

“Stop being stubborn, let’s go already.” She bobbed her head.

She tried to reach for her, but Agatha turned and ran the opposite direction, refusing to be taken back. Grusha’s temper was pushed, and so she pounced after the girl and wrapped arms around her. Agatha struggled in between her arms, she was a spry little girl for her age. Despite her obviously superior strength, Agatha would not concede and fussed loudly in her arms.

“Fine, if I join you back, would that please you? Just stop making so much noise.” She grunted.

Never had she thought that she would negotiate with a weakling like Agatha, but children were easy to please enough. Agatha’s face beamed happily, excited to go on a walk with Grusha.

Grusha sighed. Children.

“Yes! Yes!” She chanted excitedly.

“OK, quiet down now. Here, get on.”

Grusha leaned down and held arms back to carry Agatha on her back, which she ecstatically hopped on. Their piggyback ride back to the camper would be a short trip, Grusha did not wander too far off. It was quiet, hardly anything noteworthy was happening in the middle of nowhere. Agatha kicked happily on her back, and hummed loudly to herself.

“Shooting star!” Agatha jumped up and pointed up at the sky.

Several long streaks showered the sky, a brief light display. Grusha smiled lightly, amused by the girl’s easy amazement of the world around her. Innocence truly was a virtue.

“Mother used to tell me that a shooting star was a good omen, it promised fortune to those who witnessed a shooting star.”

Agatha inhaled dramatically. “You had a momma too?”

“Of course I had a momma.” Grusha realized she was starting to talk like Agatha too. “Skorto.”

“Skoda?” Agatha said.

Grusha twisted her head back. “Skorto.”

“What’s a skoto?” She asked innocently.

“It doesn't mean anything in particular, nothing that a little girl should know.” Grusha answered.

“Skoto. Skoto. Skoto.” She hummed in her breath, kicking her sides again.

Grusha chuckled deeply, and reached an arm around to tickle the silly girl. Agatha giggled from the prodding fingers that poked at her tiny little ribs.

“Why did you come out here to begin with Agatha?”

She pointed up to the sky. “Stars sound pretty at night, I want to hear auntie hearing stars too.”

Grusha’s grey eyes narrowed sharply, the girl had an interesting choice of words to describe what she saw. Looking up at the sky, she could not hear anything beyond the life that surrounded her.

“What do you hear?”

“Bells, itty-bitty bells all jingling. They sound so happy! I want to be friends with stars, because momma says we can’t have any friends. But I can make friends with stars. They always are there for me when I am lonely.”

Grusha stargazed into the galaxy. This young girl reminded her of her childhood, when she had only her mother as her world. At the time, it was all she knew and all she needed, until the day of her rebirth. Memories never lapsed in her mind, everything felt so distant and close at once.

“Did you know momma was your auntie’s first friend?”

“Really?!” She squeaked while leaning forward.

“Yes, but I don’t think I’ve ever told her that before. Thinking back now, I was really mean to your mother, but she remained loyal to me. I want to make things right.”

The girl hummed loudly, hardly paying any attention towards what Grusha said. A small smile grew. Agatha's attention span was far too short, but it made her all the more adorable by her reckoning. They reached the camper just before dawnbreak, looming shadows were cast from hills by the morning sun.

Settling outside of the camper, she watched the sunrise with Agatha. Curious, she probed further into what she saw and heard.

“Tell me, what do you hear? Is it loud? Soft? Describe it to me.”

“It’s- it’s windy. Loud, like trumpets, but it sounds strong.”

“What you are hearing sounds intense, but probably heartwarming. The way you hear things from what you see is the way how I smell and taste everything around me, I think you are special Agatha.”

“Mm-hmm…” She responded, hardly paying heed to her words.

“Exactly what are you insinuating about my daughter?” A presence stood over Grusha.

Grusha rose her head high, looking behind her. Lady Hammer watched her from above with arms crossed, eyes dashed dagger angrily towards.

“She’s a demi, but of course, you knew. Didn’t you Enyo?”

Lady Hammer scooped her daughter from between Grusha’s arms out, holding her in her own warm embrace. Aput was walking out of the camper, realizing that he was stumbling onto something that was being stirred.

“Of course I knew, I am her mother. Agatha, however, doesn’t need to know anything in the form of being a demi.”

“Demi?” Agatha asked in her mother’s arm.

Aput stumbled forward and reached for Agatha, taking her into the camper. Settling her on the ground inside, he ruffled her hair.

“Give momma, poppa and auntie a minute. There is something super important we must discuss.” He told her.

“Did I do something wrong poppa?”

“No, of course not, don’t be silly. You are our special little girl.”

“But it is about me, isn’t it? We’re gonna move again, aren’t we?” She pouted.

Aput smiled sincerely. “No. We won’t have to move, but we do need to have a special talk with auntie.”

The door was closed on the sour faced little girl that made such a ridiculous face, but that was how kids behaved Grusha assumed. Aput and Enyo pulled up a log and sat down to talk with Grusha.

Aput started. “Grusha, so much has happened in the past six years, including having our precious daughter. We are extremely happy for raising a beautiful little girl, but it has its own hardships.”

“When did it begin? Her rebirth?” She asked.

“It was a year after Agatha was born, and it was extremely subtle. At first, it was all of the radios in our house that did not work, there was something constantly interfering with the signals. We honestly had no clue until one day they came.”

“They?”

Lady Hammer explained. “Foundation. They came by day, expecting the house to be emptied, Aput was gona at the time. I fought them with Agatha in my arms, but they were hardly a match. They were ruthless, and cowardly in their shameless attempt to sequester our baby.”

“And now you find yourselves in the middle of the Valle de Muerto wasteland, so close to the World Lights epicenter. A wonder how you managed to keep Agatha safe in this forlorn dump of a place.” Grusha’s gaze scoped the landscape.

“I am surprised you know where you are. We never told you anything about where we were, and yet you figured out the exact place we were.” Aput said.

“You forget what I am. I was alpha. I could be blinded and still always know my precise location. Sleep does not disconnect me from time. My senses are fine tuned to the pinnacle known as perfection, and for that reason, I am apex.”

Grusha jumped onto her feet, she combed her fair blonde hair back. Perplexed and bewildered.

“Apex? You jest? Please tell me you jest, Grusha.” She asked fervently.

“No. I. Am. Apex.”

“Then that would make…” Hammer’s voice trailed off.

“Me the first.” Grusha finished her thought.

“When did you ascend to this godsend divinity.”

“Hold on, hold on.” Aput waved his hand out, trying to slow down what was going on. “I am not following what you two are saying. What is this thing about being an apex? I’ve heard of alphas, betas and omegas, but never heard a word about an apex.”

Hammer pointed a finger at Grusha. “Wildebeest is claiming that she has the capability to bring about absolute destruction to the earth.”

Aput eyes trailed towards Grusha, her lengthy dark hair waved in the sunlight. The light glowed off of her like an angel of death.

In the back of her mind. She heard the voice roar, angry and furious at her. Kill them! Show them what it means to be beneath you! They’re nothing!