BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 39
 

“Where’s Pala?” Elias asked as Cerise and her father led the white fox inside the cabin.

  “She’s running perimeter watch with a couple friends from Binfurr,” Rovi told his son-in-law, getting the young male to the table and pouring him a stiff drink of scotch whiskey. “Tisane Binfurr has a few notable individuals in his employ. Erwin Hammer is from Earth, former soldier and Special Forces type. Aran Deurman used to be with the Kantus 8th Expeditionary Marine Division. They both owe me favors, so I brought them along.” The older fox set the glass down in from of Elias. “Now, drink that.”

  “I really don’t want a drink,” the younger male protested quietly.

  “Elias, you’re wrung out, you’re grieving and you’re in shock. There are others here you can depend on, so do yourself a favor, have the damn drink, and go lay down for a bit with Cerise.” Rovi’s tone was strong and commanding, and it was the first time that Elias had ever heard his father-in-law swear. The black fox was right, though. “We’ve got this watch.”

  Picking up the glass, Elias tossed it back in one gulp, his eyes squinting against the burning across his raw, dry tongue and throat. He felt the whiskey hit his stomach followed by a warming sensation radiating outward from his belly.

  Elias stood, reaching for his wife. “I guess you’ll let me know if anything happens,” he said, letting Cerise take him into the back.

  “You can count on it. Now go get some rest,” Rovi said. “Sharan and Keena will have food ready in a little while. I’ll get you up then.”

  The fox nodded before entering one of the larger rooms and shutting the door. They didn’t turn on any of the lights, keeping the room dark. Shucking his coat and body armor off and setting a pistol on the nightstand that was barely visible, and the SMG on the floor next to the bed, Elias lay down next to his wife who was already curled up on top of the covers. His arms automatically sought her warmth before he was even settled.

  “I can’t believe Melise and the others are…gone,” Cerise whispered in the dark.

  “I know,” he answered quietly. “It doesn’t seem real.”

  The vixen rolled over within the circle of her mate’s embrace. “I was hoping to come back out here soon, but not like this.”

  “Especially with our anniversary coming up,” Elias said, stroking her long hair.

  “I forgot about that,” she admitted meekly.

  The fox chuckled weakly. “I thought it was the male’s job to forget those kinds of things,” he said, trying valiantly to stave off the sadness within him.

  “There’s just been so much going on…then today…” Cerise’s voice trailed off and she was silent for several moments, simply thankful that she and Elias were still alive. She was sad about her friends, but at the same time she couldn’t help but be thankful she and her mate were together and safe. Feeling relieved also brought about a certain level of guilt.

   A sudden jolt low in her belly caused her to jump.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked in sudden alarm as he felt her jerk in reaction.

  Cerise sighed. “I don’t think our babies like all of the excitement. Or maybe they do like it, and are trying to stir things up again now that it’s quiet.”

  Elias placed his hand over her belly. “Settle down in there,” he admonished the unborn kits gently. One of the kits kicked where his hand lay. “I think their sassing me,” he said with surprise.

  “Well, they are your kits,” Cerise said. “What do you expect?”

   They lay holding each other for a long while before Cerise jerked again.

  “Oh, hell,” she muttered. “Elias, go out and get my mother, please.”

  “Why, he asked, his eyes snapping open. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. Nothing at all, Dear. It’s just that my water broke and I’m going to need her and Keena in a few minutes.”

  “WHAT?” Elias yelped, suddenly nervous and not sure what to do.

  Cerise’s hand found his shirt and she grabbed hold of it, clenching the fabric and fur underneath as the first contractions set in. “This isn’t the time to lose it, Lover. Please…go…get my…mother.” She had begun panting, and rolled up into a sitting position with her knees apart, supporting her upper body with her arms stiffly stuck out behind her.

  Elias hastily kissed his wife before rolling out of bed and rushing back into the main section of the cabin. He saw Sharan stirring something in a big pot on the stove. Walking up to her, he tentatively touched her shoulder.

  “Um…Sharan…Cerise needs you,” he said, his eyes wide.

  “Is she all right?” the older female asked, her ears perking up in concern.

  Elias was almost at his wit’s end and all he could do for a moment was point. “Cerise. Her water broke. Kits.”

  “Oh.” Then Sharan dropped the spoon she was stirring with. “Oh! All right. Keena, I need clean towels, please, and bring the first aid box. Rovi,” she called to her husband, “keep Elias out of the way, please.” The red furred vixen wiped her hands on a dish towel and calmly walked back to the bedroom her daughter was in, leaving the expectant father standing in the kitchen with a vacant look on his face.

  Keena moved to do as she was told, smiling widely as Rovi walked up and took his son-in-law’s arm.

  “Come on, lad. Let’s go outside and get some air,” the other fox said gently.

  Before they got out the door, Keena emerged from the room with Elias’ arsenal in her arms. “Momma said she didn’t want her grandchildren born in an armory,” the female said with a chuckle. She deposited the pistol and SMG on the table and went back to the room.

  Elias turned as if he were going back into the room when the other male interceded. “Nope. Outside. Come on. That is the domain of the ladies. You go in there their instincts will take over and they’ll claw you to bits.”

  Elias let himself be led outside, knowing that his wife was in good hands, but worried nonetheless. Rovi guided him into the thick grass out front, making sure he was between the fox and the door, though his ears were twisted so that he could almost hear what was happening inside.

  Movement near the Dragonfly caught Elias’ attention, and before he knew it, he’d dropped to a kneeling position with his stunner out as his pistol was still inside. The figure that flitted between the shadows was huge and held the rifle he was carrying up in one hand, the other empty and in the air.

  “Hold your fire. I’m a friend,” the figure said.

  Rovi put his hand on the fox’s arm. “It’s Aran, Elias. It’s okay.”

  Elias lowered his weapon, though he didn’t put it away. The figure stepped closer and proved to be a lion that could have been a younger version of Sandy Brees, though the coloration was slightly different with his mane looking more yellow in the dim light from the house instead of Sander’s dark brown. “Not bad, laddy-o. Good reflexes,” the lion said with a grin. He shifted the huge rifle to his left hand and held out his right. “You must be Elias. It’s a pleasure to meet you, though I could wish for better circumstances.”

  Elias holstered the stunner and took the offered hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

  Aran laughed. “Ain’t no ‘Sirs’ here, boyo. Just call me Aran.” He turned to Rovi. “Little high strung, isn’t he?” the lion said with another grin.

  “Cerise has just gone into labor. His behavior is excusable after the day he’s had,” Rovi said quietly.

  Aran nodded. “That’s an understatement. Erwin has the entire area covered, and that Kastan is about. I don’t know where you found her, but she’s good. You may want to let her know if you have any people coming in overland. She’ll have ‘em diced and sliced before they know they’re in trouble.” The lion shook his head. “Wish’t I had some like her when I was in the Marines.”

  The front door opened and Celia and Gey exited the cabin, both rubbing their eyes. Celia had a wolf plushie that she dragged by the arm while Gey carried a soft blanket with her. They shuffled to their father in their pajamas.

  “What are you two doing out of bed?” Rovi asked as he picked both of the girls up.

  “Cerise was yelling and it woke us up,” Gey said. “Is she gonna be okay?”

  “Her babies are coming, that’s all,” the older fox told his daughters with a half-smile.

  “How do they get out?” Celia asked innocently.

  “Normally the same way they got in,” Aran said with a grin as he glanced at Elias.

  The twins looked at the assorted males, not understanding. They did look at Elias and gave him sleepy smiles and little waves. “You’re a daddy, too, now, ‘Lias,” Gey said with a nod. “You’ll be a good daddy.”

  “I hope so, sweetling,” the fox said with a tired smile. “I hope so.”

  Rovi set the girls down and gave them both a kiss. “Go on back to bed, now. And stay there. When you get up in the morning we’ll let you see Cerise and the new babies.”

  The girls nodded and trudged back into the cabin, shutting the door on their way. “I think I’m going to need a contractor to have an addition built on to the cabin. It’s getting a lot smaller now,” Rovi said with a  shake of his head.

  A sound came from the house through the now open window to the room that Elias and Cerise shared, and both males reached out and took one Elias’ arms firmly. Half a second later they all heard Cerise let out a cry of pain. It was followed a moment later by the yipping cry of a kit

  “There’s one,” Rovi said with a smile.

  They heard Cerise yell out again.

  The crying went silent for a moment, and the three males heard a female voice saying something, though they couldn’t make out the words. Cerise let out a strangled cry once more and if not for the two males holding him back, the younger male would have gone through the wall to get to his wife. It was followed by the crying of a second baby, and Elias felt the struggle go out of his body as he sagged, physically and emotionally spent from the events of the day. Rovi and Aran went from holding the young tod back to holding him up.

  “That’s two,” Rovi said with relief and pride.

  It was several minutes before Sharan stepped out of the cabin. She looked around in the darkness, finally seeing where her husband and son-in-law were. She walked forward, wiping her hands on an apron that had some slight blood smears on it. As soon as she was close enough, she threw her arms around Elias’ neck and kissed his cheek.

  “You have two beautiful and healthy children, Elias. Give Cerise a moment, then go meet your newest additions,” Sharan said, her eyes sparkling even in the low illumination. She let the white fox go before embracing her husband, smiling widely.

  Aran clapped Elias on the shoulder by means of congratulations. The fox waited as long as he could stand it before entering the cabin. He walked past the table, not even glancing at the weaponry that lay there, into the hallway, and paused at the door, knocking softly. Keena opened it, giving her sister’s mate a smile before exiting wordlessly, leaving the two new parents alone.

  Cerise looked tired, but her eyes were open and bright as she cradled the tiny kits to her breasts. Each was wrapped in a small blanket. “Look,” the vixen crooned to the kits she held, “here’s your Daddy.” She gave her mate a smile that was filled with pleasure and pride at what the two of them had created.

  Elias entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked first at his mate, then the infants. He reached out a slightly trembling hand then pulled back, afraid to disturb his children.

  “You aren’t going to break them, silly fox,” Cerise said with a chuckle, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “A son and a daughter. And both are beautiful.”

  He took the closest kit gently in his hands, amazed at the tiny being was that stirred in the swaddling, noticing that it had white fur with black ear tips and paws. The paws were tucked up under the furry little chin and it opened its mouth and yawned before settling.

  “That’s your daughter. I wanted to name her Dena Renee,” the vixen said softly. “And this one Ellis Van,” she told him, indicating their son with identical coloration to the miniature vixen kit.

  He looked up at his mate and saw that she was crying as well, her smile bittersweet and hopeful. “I…I think those are f-fine names,” Elias whispered, pleased that she had used an amalgam of his parents’ and two of his siblings’ names.

  ***

  “We’re about five miles out, Elias,” Randal informed his Captain over the secure DataCom that all of the crew members carried. “Tell whoever is on lookout not to shoot us, please.”

  Elias nodded at Rovi who informed his friends that they were expecting the company that was coming up the mountain track. “You’re clear, Randy. Come on up.”

  The fox went outside and waited. He heard the vehicles before he saw them. First up was Odette on a standard motorcycle. She stopped not far from the front of the cabin, killed the hydrogen fuel cell engine and took her helmet off, shaking her head in the cool breeze that washed over the mountain retreat. Behind her came an all-wheel drive van, and finally a heavy chassis monocycle driven by Sonja.

  The rest of the crew looked tired and worn out. All of them were armed and wore body armor. Randal approached his Captain. “I went back to the ship and salvaged what I could. I didn’t know that you had already been there. I had a heck of a time getting past the Sergeant in charge of the guard detail. Apparently Sandy has been in touch with them and made arrangements for the hull to be returned to Okami.”

  Elias nodded. “Brees informed me of that just a little while ago. I take it you were able to get enough in the way of personals and weapons?”

  “The weapons were my first priority, though I did manage to collect the vital personal items for the others. I…I didn’t get anything from Melise or…or the others’ cabins,” Randal said, dropping his head.

  “It’s okay,” Elias said as he put his hand on the wolf’s shoulder. “We can take care of that later. There’s food, hot showers and beds available. Get everyone situated and get some rest.”

  “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a while. We’ve been running kind of ragged. I didn’t want to sit in one place for too long. Do we have any idea who hit us yet?” the wolf asked, waving for the rest of the crew to come forward.

  “Not yet. I think Brees is shaking down Dennier and the whole PA down to find out, though. Even INN is reporting a substantial increase in SPF activity through the Alignment over the past two days.” Elias saw that the others had gathered around him and Randal. He turned to face them. “There’s food and beds inside. Some of you might have to triple up in a room or grab some floor space, but we’re secure here. Pala and a couple of other friends that you’ll meet soon are keeping watch on us,” Elias told them, turning to lead the way into the cabin. He stopped and turned back around. “And if your good and clean up and promise not to make too much noise, Cerise and I will let you see the kits,” he added casually.

  “You mean she’s had the babies?” Lena asked with a squeal and grin.

  “Yeah,” Elias said with a tired smile. “Dena Renee and Ellis Van Tivnan. She named them after my parents and siblings.”

  “I can’t wait to see them!” Sonja said, smiling in anticipation, despite her obvious exhaustion.

  “You aren’t the only one,” Odette said. “Let’s get this stuff inside. I wanna see the kids.”

  Treena didn’t say anything, but gave Elias a hug before entering the cabin. Saul stepped up unable to meet the fox’s eyes.

  “I really screwed up, Elias.”

  “How’s that?” he asked the jaguar, his head tilted in puzzlement.

  “I was the one left in command, I’m the one to blame.”

  Elias put a hand on the large cat’s shoulder. “Saul, they had our number, plain and simple. The results would have been the same if I’d still been on the ship. It might have even been worse. This is no one’s fault. Not yours…not Randy’s…no one. We are going to get them back, though. We’re going to find them and we’re going to put paid to their ticket. Understand?”

  The feline lifted his eyes. “You got it, Boss,” he said in a subdued voice.

  “Go on inside. Go get something to eat and get some sleep. We’ll worry about this later.”

  Elias watched the others file into the cabin. It would be crowded with everyone inside, but they could make do. Turning back to look out over the field and mountains beyond, the fox noticed that Lemuel had returned to the van and retrieved the bag that he always carried with him then walked towards his Captain instead of heading directly to the cabin.

  “I figure while I’m here, I can give Cerise and the kits a quick exam,” the tiger offered.

  Elias smiled. “Thanks, Lem. It’s appreciated.”

  He watched as the Doctor turned towards the cabin, his eyes squinting with the smile that split his muzzle a moment before Keena launched herself into Lemuel’s arms. She kissed the tiger warmly, her arms wrapping around the other’s neck in a tight hug as she held herself up by squeezing his sides and hips with her knees.

  Keena slid to the ground at the conclusion of the kiss. “I was worried about you,” the russet vixen said by way of explanation.

  “I can see that,” the tiger said with a grin. “Come on. You can help me while I look over your sister and the children.”

  The female took Lemuel’s hand and led him inside, once again leaving Elias alone with his thoughts.

  A message from Brees had informed him that the lion would be arriving within another week and that they were all to stay put. He was coming in on a cruiser that would be transporting all of them to Joplin for their own safety, and that arrangements had already been made for their billeting. Rovi had protested citing his need to return to work, but his arguments had been quickly shot down with orders from the Executives of Binfurr for the older fox to do as the SPF Colonel ordered.

  As he looked out over the flowers of the field in front of their refuge, Elias sighed. He hated playing this kind of waiting game and tried not to let it sour his mood. The situation was difficult enough without the fox adding his own peevishness to it all.

  “Are you going to stand out here all night?” Cerise asked as she walked up and linked her arm in his and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “I thought that Lem was going to give you and the kits an examination?” he asked, silently enjoying the contact with his mate. He always felt better when she was near.

  “That was over an hour ago. He’s pleased that we’re all disgustingly healthy. Not even a sniffle to treat.”

  Elias blinked. “Has it really been that long?”

  The vixen nodded. “Lost in thought, or worry, Love of mine?”

  “Both.”

  “Like you said before, there’s no help for it right now. Come on inside. Supper’s ready, and I don’t know about you, but I’m famished,” Cerise said, pulling on his arm and gently guiding the fox inside.

  “Well, you do have little ones you’re feeding, too,” he said with a smile.

  When they entered the cabin, Elias saw that his crew was busy fussing over the kits. Lena held Renee, Elias deciding that name fit her better than her first, and was cooing to her softly while Odette and Treena looked on, making appropriate ‘oohing’ and ‘ahing’ noises. The little white and black kit was sleeping contentedly, unaware of the attention she was getting. Oddly enough, Randal was holding Van. The kit had his little fingers wrapped firmly around the wolf’s facial fur and whiskers and was trying to diligently pull what he had out until Elias intervened.

  “He has a good grip,” the wolf said as he rubbed his snout.

  Elias smiled. “Van has a habit of grabbing things that cause the most discomfort. He latched on to my ear last night. I thought he was going to pull it off. Fortunately he missed the earring.”

  Rovi took his grandson from Elias so the fox could get something to eat, retreating to a corner of the sunken area where he began talking to the kit, saying something that Elias couldn’t hear, but his father-in-law was smiling affectionately.

  “Do we have any plans besides waiting?” Randal asked, still rubbing his jowl.

  Spooning stew into his mouth, Elias shook his head. “Until more information is forthcoming, it’s the safest thing to do. I hate it, but there’s no other course that we can take at the moment.”

  “I don’t know about the rest of you,” Sonja said, holding her own bowl of stew, “but I’m glad to have a place to lay low. Sleeping with one eye open wasn’t fun.” She looked up at Sharan and smiled, “And the food is light years beyond the garbage we were eating. I don’t know how people can live off of fast food.” The spaniel stuck her tongue out to emphasize her point and shuddered.

  Sharan reached out and patted the other female’s arm warmly. “I have to make sure that all my children are taken care of, don’t I?”

  Cerise sat close to her mate, touching his arm. She was still suffering from the months of separation, and seemed to need to remind herself that the other fox really was there. “I’ll be happier when Uncle Sandy shows up,” she said. “Until we find out who did this and stop them, I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe.”

  “We’ll find who it was,” Randal said. “We will most definitely find them.”

  Erwin, Rovi’s human associate from Binfurr walked in carrying his rifle. Before anyone could stop them, Randal, Lena and the others had drawn their sidearms and pointed them in the man’s direction. “Pala told me dinner was ready,” the human said without moving, though his expression was fairly light and he had the vestiges of a smile on his face. “I hope this isn’t your way of telling me that I missed out.”

  “Put them away,” Elias said. “This is Erwin. He’s been taking most of the night watches.” The fox introduced the man to the rest of his crew.

  It was Randal that struck up an immediate conversation by finding a common interest. “That looks like the seventy four model Binfurr Anti-Material Rifle, but not quite,” the wolf said with one raised eyebrow as he holstered his pistol. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of these before.”

  “Something Aran and I have been working on,” Erwin said with a smile as he held the rifle much as Elias and Cerise held their children. “It’s based on the mechanics of the BAMSR 74, but instead of firing a 14 millimeter jacketed or armor piercing round, we dropped the size to 12.5 millimeter and use a 5 millimeter osmium dart with Teflon sabot. It gives better penetration to sandwiched armor and almost an extra three hundred yards in range with over two hundred feet per second more velocity.”

  Erwin unloaded the magazine and cleared the chamber before handing it to the wolf. “It’s a lot lighter than it looks,” Randal said, his eyes widening slightly. “And you designed it to go with the standard Mark 2 smart sights. I like it.”

  Erwin nodded. “The Mark 2 is the best sight out there! Why fix something that ain’t broke?” The man walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup before getting another cup with stew and a chunk of bread, consuming the food and drink as he talked. “It still uses the delayed roller locks that the seventy four employs, though it seems to do better with the smaller round. As for the weight, we’re using linear chain polymer synthetics for the stock and furniture, though the breech, bolt and barrel are still Siilv lined Titanium Four alloy and manganese and molybdenum steels. It still has the best heat dissipation to prevent barrel warping.”

  Randal looked at Lena with a grin. “Can you get me one for my birthday?”

  The doe looked at her lover with a pained expression. “And you have the audacity to gripe about me and my jelly beans?”

  The rest of the individuals in the room laughed, breaking the tension that had formed when the human walked in.

  Erwin looked at Rovi and Elias. “We got those portable sensors up. If anyone comes within three miles, we’ll get plenty of warning.”

  The fox seemed to deflate visibly with the release of tension that he hadn’t known he was suffering from. “That makes me feel a lot better. I think I’ll actually get some sleep tonight without waking up every time I hear a board creak or an insect starts up or goes silent. Thanks Erwin.”

  The human nodded and smiled. “You got enough to worry you with them kids. You just leave things to me and Aran. We got yer back.” He gave Cerise a wink and polished off his coffee. “Now, if you will all excuse me, I’m gonna go catch some shut eye before I head back out.” He reclaimed his rifle and inserted the magazine after replacing the round that had been in the chamber. The man then looked at Randal. “I got a spare in the plane if you want to take a turn up on the ridge with me. These are barrel sighted with a laser to absolute zero. As long as you know your personal setting for the Mark 2 scope, you don’t have to sight her in.”

  Randal grinned widely. “I might have to take you up on that,” the wolf said leaning forward.

  Lena cleared her throat loudly.

  “Or not,” Erwin said with a smile, not missing a beat. “I’ll catch you all later,” he said as he walked back out the door.

  “You’ve been going for four days and nights on about an hour’s worth of sleep,” the doe admonished Randal once the door to outside closed. “You are bloody well going to get some rest or I’m going to have Lem give you a sedative. Understand?”

  The wolf pulled her closer and gave the rabbit a nuzzle. “You do love me,” he said with a smile.

  “Of course I do. And if you don’t start taking better care of yourself I’m going to hurt you,” Lena said.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.