Chapter 17: Sacrifice

"Who are they Nora?"

"I don't know, Jim, they look human though." Valenora Fuller lay flat on her stomach looking at the group working on a large military style scout ship. Others milled about round the ship, some setting up a camp. From their vantage point on a small wooded ridge overlooking the ship they could spy on the new arrivals without being seen.

"They're not Grojan are they?" Diana asked, an edge to her voice.

Nora, as her friends called her, twisted back to look at the others. "How should I know Di, I've never seen one before, have you?"

"No sorry."

As Nora turned back to the ship and raised her field glasses one of her wolves growled low in its throat. She cuffed it. "Shush, Max." The wolves, as they had called them, were a large predator native to the planet they had settled on after their flight from Earth, two hundred and twenty humans in three ships commanded by her Grandfather. They had fled to this planet because it was deep in uncharted space and well away from the Grojan. It was a planet her father had discovered years before that was deserted but capable of supporting human life. The wolves however had been a problem at first, a large four legged creature with massive shoulders that stood just over waist high. It resembled a cross between a timber wolf and a sabre toothed cat. Two people had been killed by them just after the settlers had arrived. Strangely, a pair had later approached their camp while Nora was working on the perimeter fence. The guards had raised their rifles to shoot them when they had laid down looking directly at Nora.

"What are they doing?" one of the others asked. "They just seem to be watching you, Nora."

"I don't know, it's strange..."

Her Grandmother came up behind her. "Nora?" she whispered

"Yes, Gran." She turned to look at the old woman who stood watching the beasts with a strange expression on her face. Her Grandmother's eyes flicked to her face. "Move slowly towards them, Nora, don't make any threatening movements and keep your mind clear." She turned to the men and women holding their rifles ready. "Cover, Nora, spread out so you can get a clear shot, but don't do anything unless they threaten her." They started to fan out. "Slowly!" she hissed. "They must not be spooked." She turned back to the beasts.

Nora frowned. "Gran, what is going on?"

Her grandmother patted her arm. "I have a hunch my dear, these creatures look similar to a pet your mother had when she met your father." She nodded in the direction of the watching animals. "They are watching you and ignoring everyone else - why is that, do you think, when before they have attacked without warning?"

"Because I am my mother's daughter, and these animals were originally bred by her people?"

"Exactly, they must sense something in you, a species connection, now walk towards them slowly, but don't stand in the line of fire just in case they do attack." Her Grandfather came up behind her as well. 'If we can tame these creatures this planet will be far safer for us and they would make excellent guard dogs." He smiled at her. "Be careful, Nora, and only do this if you want to and you are confident. If at any time you sense danger step back and raise your hand."

She nodded. "OK Grandfather, I'm fine, and there is something magnificent about those creatures isn't there?"

"Yes, love, there is."

She stepped towards the waiting animals, her arms slightly forward and her palms up. The females tail started to swish as she approached and the male growled a low rumbling growl but held himself stock still. Nora froze and waited for him to settle then moved forward again, her heart thudding in her chest. She had avoided their eyes up until that moment but glanced at the female. The instant their eyes met Nora instinctively knew the female would not harm her. She wondered if she would get the same feeling from the male. She glanced at him and again immediately their eyes locked she knew the creature was hers.

With two more slow steps she stood in front of the two creatures then, forcing the thundering of her heart back to a nearly normal rhythm, she knelt in front of them and held a hand out to each of them. Even though Nora was tall, the male laying down, came up to her chin as she knelt down in front of him.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and reached out her hands. The male sniffed her skin and the female licked her hand. She let out a sigh and slowly stood. The wolves rose with her and keeping to heel as if they had been trained, followed her as she turned and walked back to the camp. She watched as those with rifles visibly relaxed and her grandparents' faces looked relieved. She walked up to them and stopped, the wolves sat as soon as she stopped.

Her grandmother stepped cautiously forward and hugged her. "I knew you could do it, Nora, well done my darling." She pulled back and looked at the two magnificent beasts just sitting and watching. "Now you have some added protection."

By accident, a few months later the colonists found that the wolf cubs could be imprinted almost as soon as they were born. The colony no longer had to fear the wolves, now they had their own for protection.

"What should we do, Nora, hide until they fix their ship and go away?"

Nora shook herself from her memory and thought for a moment. "The problem with that is, once they've fixed their ship they might well do a scan or a survey and they will find us anyway. It is probably best if one of us goes to meet them now and see if they are hostile. They would be easier to take care of while their ship is being repaired rather than once it is fixed."

The others nodded in agreement as always, looking to Nora as the leader. "Right, I'm going to meet them unless anyone has any specific objection?" She looked round at her companion's faces, no one objected to her plan. "Cover me just in case they are hostile and I will take my wolves with me. They can create a diversion if I have to run for it."

"But Nora, perhaps I should go?"

"Look closely at them Jim, their ears?"

He raised the glasses and sucked in a breath. "They all look like you, Nora, we all thought you were one of a kind!"

"Grandfather always told me I look like my mother, who had the same deformed ears, but they all have the same deformity, and while most seem to have black hair, can you see two women off to one side watching what is going on with the rear of the ship?"

He swung the glasses to look where Nora had mentioned. "They have the same hair color as you Nora."

"What if my mother was the same as these people, Jim?" She touched her pointed ears. "As I look like them it would be safer if I go and if they aren't friendly I will persuade them I'm on my own, but if you go they will immediately see you are different and I have a bad feeling about them."

"What do you mean, Nora?" Di asked a frown on her face. "Perhaps we should just stay hidden."

Nora looked down at the ship with questions and doubts filling her mind. "I think they will find our little colony if I don't lead them away, and I sense danger from them Di. I must go down and find out, and if there is danger if I will tighten my braid like this." She lifted both hands and pulled the ends of her hair. "Then stay hidden and go and warn the others of the danger, shut everything down and leave the village until their ship has left." She paused for a moment. "Tell my Grandparents I love them."

Di squeezed her hand. "Oh Nora, please be careful."

Nora smiled at the others and moved carefully away from them along the ridge so she would come from a different direction from where her friends were hiding. Her wolves followed, her also keeping low. Once she judged it safe she stood, and with a flick of her fingers brought her wolves to heel either side of her. Nora took a deep breath, stepped from behind a tree and started walking down the slope towards the ship.

The dark haired guards raised their weapons as she came into view. Nora's heart rate jumped and both of her wolves growled, a deep rumble in their throats. Nora hushed them and felt her chest tighten as she approached. The older blonde woman spoke and the guns were lowered. Nora turned her attention towards them. One would be middle aged, Nora guessed, hard looking and unfriendly. The younger one not much older than Nora herself smiled slightly and had a twinkle in her eye that Nora liked. She instinctively realized these two fair haired women were the leaders and walked towards them. She stopped in front of the older woman and said, "Hello, I'm Valenora." And she waited, her heart banging against her ribs. The tails of her two wolves were swishing, picking up on her tension. She flicked her fingers and they both sat down looking at the woman in front of her.