Realisation Of A Destiny
“Take me down ter the Paradise City,
Where the grass is green,
And the girls are pretty.
Oh won’t you please take me home!”
“What kinda music
is that?” Stranger asked, cringing as Bailey belted out the song at the top of her lungs.
“Guns and Roses dude!” grinned Bailey. “It’s good music!”
“That short-stuff, is a matter of opinion.” Stranger said. Bailey grinned good-naturedly and laid her head between Stranger’s shoulder blades, putting her arms around Stranger’s chest she hugged him.
“I think I can walk on me own now Stranger, me leg feels fine.” Bailey ventured. Stranger chuckled,
“Oh no yer don’t squirt, yer stayin’ right there, I ain’t gonna let yer hurt yerself. We’ve discussed this…” Bailey snorted,
“I think ‘discuss’ is a mild description…” she muttered.
Two days ago, after they had left the little forest pool and Bailey had been carried by Stranger for awhile, Bailey had had trouble with her leg as soon as she’d tried to walk again. But still she’d insisted that it was fine, that she could walk by herself. But Stranger was stubborn, he refused to let Bailey do herself any more damage and after a rather short but violent verbal argument Stranger had won and Bailey had submitted to him. Acquiescing grudgingly as a child would to a parent.
So here she was, sitting on Stranger’s back again as they walked through a thickly wooded canyon.
After a time they came out of the canyon and into a very familiar part of the forest. Stranger stopped dead and stood stock-still.
“Stranger?” Bailey’s quiet, concerned voice snapped Stranger out of his daze. Stranger let out a gasp of air. Bailey frowned and put her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder, “What is it?”
“Don’t yer recognise it lil’ one?” Stranger asked in a quiet voice. Bailey looked around, Stranger heard a sharp intake of breath and Bailey nuzzled into his neck. This was where they had fought Wart and Bunion.
“Can we leave now?” she whispered. Stranger nodded and began walking, but then, “Stranger wait.” Stranger stopped and Bailey slid down from his back.
“Bailey?” Bailey wandered away from Stranger, she frowned and closed her eyes as if trying to remember something. Stranger followed, “Bailey? Whatcha ya doin’?” he asked softly.
“Before they were murdered,” Bailey began, eyes still closed, “The Steef, they protected the Grubbs right? But Sekto… he came and dammed their water and killed their guardians…” Stranger gave Bailey a look. “Cry not for us,” Bailey murmured, “Our souls survive. Justice awaits the waters rise…remember us…” her eyes snapped open, “That’s it!” she yelled, she spun to face Stranger. “We have to go back.”
“Go back? Go back where?”
“After the branch snapped, when we were fighting Bunion and Wart, I woke up and you were gone, Wart woke up too, so I ran, and stumbled onto a graveyard. A Grubb graveyard, overlooking a dry valley. I heard voices, they said to remember what I’d seen. Then I saw you and ran again.” Bailey explained, her eyes were bright. “That’s where we have to go, the Grubbs, we havta find them.”
“An’ do what!?”
“I dunno,” Bailey grinned as Stranger lifted her onto his back, “But I will.” She said confidently.
“They may even be able ter lead us ter other Steef.” She thought to herself.
It took the best part of the day for Bailey to find her way to the Grubb graveyard, but she did it eventually, just before the sun began to set. As they left the trees Bailey slid from Stranger’s back and as if in a trance she moved through the graves, up the little hill and looked over the dry valley.
Bailey heard the voices again as soon as she went amongst the graves. She couldn’t understand what they were saying this time, she could just hear the whispers, like the breeze rustling over long grass. But she could sense that they were happy that she had returned. Even though she could not understand the words they spoke, somehow she knew what she had too do…what she was being asked…
Back at the graveyard’s entrance Stranger watched Bailey with a faint uncomfortable feeling as she wandered through the graves, up a sloping rise and looked over the Mongo valley. She sank to her knees. Stranger came up beside her and also dropped to the floor.
“D’you…” Bailey began, “Think we’re too late?” Stranger looked over the near dead valley.
“I don’t know. But we’re gonna find out, c’mon Bailey.” Stranger rose, Bailey sat for a moment, gazing out at the dry river valley but then she too got up.
“I’ll walk from here.” She murmured. Stranger didn’t argue.
“Let’s go then.” He said and led the way around the graveyard and back into the treeline. “We’ll go the way I went.” He said quietly as he led Bailey down towards the Grubb village, neither of them knowing what they were going to discover…
¤§¤
The sun was setting when they finally reached the valley floor. The two found themselves just north of the Grubb village Stranger had led Bunion through.
“Yer think yer up fer walkin’ jist a bit further?” Stranger asked Bailey quietly as they stood side-by-side and looked southward, down the dry riverbed.
“Yeh, I’ll be alright.” Bailey assured, Stranger gave Bailey a piercing look, his green eyes vaguely concerned. Bailey was pale and her face seemed drawn. He realised she’d been very quiet since they’d left the graveyard. It struck him that she’d been buoyant and cheerful beforehand and exuberant when she’d first had the idea to find the Grubbs but she’d become practically silent as soon as she’d entered the graveyard itself.
Stranger felt apprehension stir in his gut. It was as if something had been drained out of Bailey as soon as she had been among those stones. She seemed weaker, and exhausted. Her strength, it seemed, her very life-force had diminished.
Something had happened to her, Stranger realised, something had caused this change in Bailey. He remembered when Bailey had told him about when she had first seen the graveyard;
“…I ran, and stumbled onto a graveyard. A Grubb graveyard, and a dry valley. I heard voices, they said to remember what I’d seen…”
Something about those voices…somehow they had done something to Bailey. Were they really the voices of the dead Grubbs? Stranger wondered. Was Bailey hearing the victims of the drought and Sekto? Had they brought her here?
And if they had…
Why?
Bailey on the other hand knew now why the dead Grubbs were talking to her.
Stranger.
It was about Stranger.
She was meant to lead him here, to make sure he got to the Grubbs alive and well. He had a destiny here and Bailey had been chosen to be sent to this place to guide him. The souls of the dead Grubbs had told her this.
And she had a destiny too. Everything that had happened to her since meeting Stranger, all was part of that destiny.
They hadn’t told her what Stranger had to do, only that she had to take him to the Grubbs and from there it would become clear.
Bailey knew the message was cryptic, but she also knew what she was been told was the truth.
And it was something she had to do…
¤§¤
The long sunset drenched the sky with watery reds and oranges as Stranger and Bailey finally walked along the riverbank of the dead Mongo River towards the remains of a Grubb settlement. It was so severely dry that dust rose just by them walking. It grew darker and Bailey began to get more and more agitated as they came closer to their destination.
“What if…” she began, but Stranger cut her off. He put a finger gently on her nose, Bailey looked at him.
“None a tha’ now.” He said softly, “We’ll know when we get there.” Bailey swallowed gently and nodded. Stranger started forward again, but on not hearing Bailey with him, he turned. She’d not moved. She just stood there, hugging herself as if she were cold and stared into nothingness. His concern mounting Stranger approached her again, “Bailey.” Bailey blinked as if coming out of some kind of trance and looked at him. “Bailey, are yer alright?” Bailey shivered.
“I…I…don’t know…” she whispered. But Stranger smelt the fear in her. Fear of the unknown. And fear of an uncertain future.
“Bailey, listen ter me, whateva’s there, we’ll face it tergether. Like we always do.” Stranger offered her a hand, “We go together.” Bailey looked hesitant, but after a moment she took Stranger’s hand.
“Always together.” She whispered. Stranger smiled and together, Steef and human made there way towards the Grubb village around the next bend in the river.
As they reached the river bend Stranger slowed and eventually stopped.
“Stranger?” Bailey said questioningly,
“I don’t think we should go any further tonight…” Bailey looked at him but didn’t argue. Obviously what had happened at the Clakker farm was still very clear in her mind. It would take a long time for her to regain her previous flippancy. She was starting to trust Stranger’s instincts…
“Should we stop here then?” she asked, Stranger paused, then nodded.
“Yeh. We’ll stop here fer the night.”
It didn’t take them long to set up camp and start a small fire. Soon they were sat, huddled together to stay warm.
“How’s your arm?” Bailey asked tentatively. Stranger rubbed it absentmindedly,
“It’s better, abit stiff, but otha then tha’…”
“Well, I can help with the stiffness…if yer want…”
“I was hopin’ yer’d say that.” Stranger grinned, Bailey took his arm in her gentle hands and began kneading the muscle with her knuckles. Stranger’s fur bristled, but not in an angry way, he made a deep rumbling sound that wasn’t exactly a purr but like a sound of relief. “Oh yer can keep doin’ that…” Bailey smiled and continued. Stranger leaned back against a huge rock that they made camp by and closed his eyes. “Tha’s real nice Bailey.” Bailey gave him a look.
“Yer know, in future if yer want somat, you just have to ask right?” Stranger opened his eyes and went thoughtful, as if thinking if Bailey’s offer was genuine or not. “I mean it.” Bailey said, watching him.
“Anything?” Stranger asked,
“Within reason.” Bailey nodded. Stranger grinned hugely as Bailey let his arm go, “There, finished.” Stranger flexed his arm,
“Feels good, thanks…” he hesitated “Bailey?” Bailey looked at him, curious about his tone.
“Yes?”
“Anything?” Stranger asked again, looking hopeful,
“Within reason.” Bailey repeated. Stranger let out a breath,
“Oh good,” he suddenly laid his head on Bailey’s shoulder and took her hand, placing it on his neck. “Then you can rub here.” Bailey snickered. But she did as he asked and soon Stranger had his eyes closed again and was emitting deep, rumbling purrs.
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Sorry it’s so slow, the plot’ll pick up during the next coupla chapters, I promise. And I’ll admit, it was abit garbled, so sorry about that…