Chapter 2

Then...

I was out hunting for the tribe it has been a long two day hunt, several hunters are staying with the kill to dress it while I head home, as Jora pregnancy progressed the more I was out hunting, always making sure the village and her had enough food, I calculated that we still had a month or so before the birth, I wanted to be stocked up so I could stay with her and the child as much as I could.

When I got back to the village it is almost dusk, I can see that there is some kind of an uproar, I went to the headman Jaco to see what was happening, he was busy ordering hunters to go track someone.

"What has happened?" I asked.

His face fell when he saw me.

"Idinnoah, I am sorry we did not notice until it was too late" He said.

"what? To late for what?" I asked.

"they came as traders, trading furs and spices, he spent the night and was gone in the mourning, we think he took her." He said.

I felt dread growing in my stomach.

"Took who?" I asked.

"Jora" He said.

Before he even finishes her name I am off running, first I go to my tent, I can see much activity in the dirt, I follow the tracks, once I am sure I am off running. The tracks are several hours old, I can see that there is at least 3 men, and they are carrying a lot of weight, enough that I am sure they carry Jora. I past the first hunters Jaco sent after an hour, they are moving fast but I am faster.

It is full night as I follow a trail, they are moving along a ravine, I can hear the water fare bellow, they are smart either they kept moving or they chose not to light a fire for their camp, I slow as I estimate I am near to where they might be. The water below makes I hard to hear, my eyesight however proves more usefull, I see in the distance where they have camped.

I move directly eager to rescue Jora, I pass a large rock moving closer to the camp, I see Jora tied laying on the floor, and two men sleeping, as I pass the large rock I sense my error, I hear something behind me before I feel the spear pierce my back, I look down to see the spear head exit my chest, I fall to my knees. He had hid behind the rock, the man shouts to his friends who instantly jump up, I fall to my side, I can see the fear in Jora's eyes as I fall.

"I got him." The man behind me shouts.

The two walk forward carrying spears

"I seem to remember him being fierce" One says.

I know these men? And slowly it dawns on me who they are, the three by the watering hole, I am laying in pain on the floor as they all gloat over me, the one that stabed me laughs and kneels.

"You killed most of the men from our village, not so strong now" he says.

I put my hand to the spear head in my chest.

"hah he is trying to pull it out." One of them laughs.

They wont be laughing for long I think, I snap the head from the spear and jab into the throat of the the kneeling man, the other two back away as their leader falls over gasping, I slowly stand up, they seem to notice for the first time that no blood comes from my wounds, the one to my right turns and runs, the one on the left charges me spear raised, I stumble but am still able to deflect the spear, I pull him to me by his spear hand and stare into his eyes as I head bunt him, this knocks him out. I knell down and snap his neck, I will have plenty of time to track the one that ran, except I look up and see he did not run, he ran to Jora and was now holding her up while holding a spear to her throat.

I stand up staring at him, I calmly reach back and push the broken spear deeper into my chest, with him watching I pull it slowly forward inch by inch out of the front of my chest. He stares on wide eyed as I do, I can see Jora smile in her eyes at my survival, she know I will take care of this.

"Let her go and Ill make it quick." I say.

He laughs pressing the spear tip to her throat.

"IF I let her go you let me live." He says.

I nod. Ill let him live for today.

"Fine." I say.

"Here" He says, he pushes her over the ledge of the ravine, I can hear the water below.

"NO" I shout, he takes off running.

I jump down after her, I can hear her falling, I hear her hit the water, I dive in, it takes several minutes for me to find her, she is limp, I drag her to the edge of the water, she is not breathing, and again I know what to do, I begin breathing into her mouth and pressing on her chest rhythmically, I don't know how I know this but I do.

After what seems like endless seconds Jora begins to cough up water, I move her to her side as she struggles to keep breathing, as soon as she is stable she begins to moan and grab her stomach, the baby is coming, and way too earlier.

It is several hours and a near thing, but Jora survives, the baby is in trouble, I do what I can for her, I wash all of us off in the river, we sit on the banks for awhile Jora and I, holding our child, a little girl. By this time the wound in my chest is completely healed, Jora is leaning up against me silently crying, after some time she speaks.

"Idin, what are you." She ask.

"I don't know." I reply.

Now...

I watch them from a far, I stalk my prey like I did in the days of old, moving unseen among the crowd, they split up, this is fine, I can find them again. I follow the one that heads to a bar, I sit several seats down from him, he never notices me, I turn down several offers from less sober ladies, after a few hours I watch him stumble out of the bar, I wait several moments before following, he is easy prey

I pick up the trail of the second one, he went home to sleep after a brief stay in jail, I walk to his apartment like I own the place, pick the lock in a few seconds to enter, I even smile and nod to a neighbor who will never recognize me. He is a deep sleeper, to bad, I had hoped someone would of posted a challenge, I feel bad for such a dishonorable act, but I remind myself these men are animals not people, I am simply putting a rabid animal down before it can hurt more people

Detective Jones

She stood in the alley, taking the scene in.

"So let me get this straight, these two men who are out on bail, this one here"Detective Williams said pointing to one of the bodies.

"Drunk as a skunk, get into an argument, maybe one says he is going to confess, so they struggle and some how both draw on each other at the same time and manage to shoot each other in the head?" he said incredulously.

Detective Jones looked over her notes and nodded. "looks that way" she said.

"Come on Sharon, you cant tell me this isn't fishy" Detective Williams said, the younger of the two.

Detective Jones shrugged. "There is not a mystery around every corner, two bad men killed each other, que sera sera" She said.

Detective Jones looked over the notes, as she suspected Idin Noah, these where the two punks he had stopped from rapping that girl.

"Sharon you can at least act interested." Detective Williams said.

"I am, I will be talking to the victim from the earlier incident, let her know these dirtbags arn't her problem." She said.