Wasteland Saviour - Rebirth - ch2
#3 of Wasteland Saviour
I said I would, and I always try and deliver. On with the show!
As the days and weeks progressed, I found myself reaching again and again for those instincts, the world had taken on some truly nightmarish qualities, beasts almost beyond description stalked the day and night.
I am not sure how long I roamed for, lost to the cougar within me, letting it keep my alive just one day at a time, but it was one evening, just before the sun went down when it shook my human mind, the cat instincts confused at something.
The word felt odd, different, everything and nothing had changed all at once. It was then I saw Her.
Laying on the ground, Her belly swollen, lay a woman, human looking but something about Her, laying there unconscious and completely vulnerable made my heart tighten.
It was then I heard the growls, a pack of wolves, half a dozen strong had found Her as well and were trotting toward Her.
I felt fire fill me, this could be the last human left, I would not let this be Her end. Leaping into the lead wolf, claws and fangs working, I wounded it, forcing it to back off.
Almost surrounded now I fought a losing fight, a deadly fight as again and again the wolves in front of me would feint in even as the ones behind me would dart in to snap at me, trying for my hamstrings.
Predicting the next lunge, I did a spin and leap and landed on one of the wolves, tearing into its neck with my teeth, feeling the sharp crunch as my fangs met, cutting through its spine.
The rest, seeing their compatriot felled, backed off, none willing to risk themselves to a similar fate for just one or two good meals.
I turned to Her then, saw Her eyes open, even as mine closed, the wounds to my body overwhelming me. As I collapsed I could feel heat leaving my side, my vision darkening, thought coming slower and slower, obviously the wolves had done better than I thought. I sighed as I felt Her hands touch me, the world slipping away from my senses.
Slowly, bright light pierced my vision. A hand slid over my face, impossibly large.
"Shhh." a calm, warm voice soothed, "Don't worry little kitten, I have you."
Strong hands manoeuvred me around until I was sitting in her lap and she guided my head to a breast, instinct took over again. My mouth latched to the nipple and I sucked, feeling heat and energy pass into me, I sighed and felt the darkness flow over my mind again.
The next time I opened my eyes, it no longer hurt and I beheld Her. "Oh, you're with us again? How do you feel now?" She asked.
I sighed, "Much better, what-" I began but then I noticed Her belly was slim again. "What happened? Did they hurt you? Where's your baby?"
She came close again, lifting me without effort once more to Her lap, now She was not quite as large but still, too big compared to what She should be. "Shh, you're safe, we are both safe. I carried that weight for aeons, bearing the mantle of 'mother', but then a little kitten came along and, in the one moment I have ever been at risk, gave his life to protect mine." she cuddled me close as, again, I found myself nursing at her. "I realised it was time to change, time to become more active in my role. I took everything that was building within me, all of it, and gave it to that kitten, pulling him back from the very brink of oblivion." she leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, "I gave my child so that I might have a child, I think the trade was worth it."
My stomach filled, I felt it hard to keep awake further and could do nothing but close my eyes, warm, safe, content.
I felt Her, holding me to Her, keeping me safe, slowly I opened my eyes and looked up into Her face. I was suddenly lost for words, She was at once the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, but only one word was within my mouth when I opened it, "Mother?" I said, feeling the word out.
I knew I had been born a long time ago, to another woman, she had raised me, protected me. But this woman, she was more than just my mother, she was the mother of the whole world.
"Yes my little kitten, I am more your mother than any other now, but it is an interesting conundrum." she said, speaking in riddles to me. Not caring, just glad to be with her I hugged her tighter. "But listen little one, there are things only you can do, things my hand would be too heavy on. Do you think you can do them for me?" She asked me.
As if I would refuse, "Ask Mother, ask anything." I replied.
"This part of the world fared badly, not many of your kind survived the initial event, many of the remainder were harmed before I could begin to extend protection. There are some though that need special care. They are like you were, all instinct and no mind, do you think you can bring them back?" She asked me.
I grinned up at Her, "If you're asking me, you think I can, which means I can." I beamed wider at seeing her consternation with my choice of words, "Mom, I am sure I can."
She laughed then, "That's my kitten, now, where to first... ahh yes, Paul."
Feeling Her power reach out to me it touched something within me, "Feel that kitten? That is yours, if you need something done, reach in and tell it, up here" She tapped my forehead, "what is needed."
Suddenly I felt my world shift and I was standing out the front of a huge building. "Leavenworth Penitentiary." I read out loud.
Walking up to the big gates I looked at them, Mom wouldn't have sent me here if it wasn't both important and possible for me to do... whatever. I pushed at the doors, they were locked.
Thinking for a moment I reached inside myself, feeling what Mother had said I would have to help me, in a flash it leapt out at the lock, and I heard the door make a loud click.
Grinning I pushed the doors open only to hear a voice, "Kid, I don't mean to sound nasty or anything, but if you are here looking for shelter you're at the wrong damned place." I noticed the man then, sitting at the far end of the big open courtyard, a coyote with a rifle.
Smiling I said, "Well, my Mother sent me, She said you needed help. Although you look ok, so I guess there is someone else here who needs help?" I saw his eye twitch at my mention of someone else. "Yes, yes there is someone else isn't there Paul? And they are having problems remembering what it is to be human." I stated matter of factly and started walking forward.
The gun lowered, his jaw hanging loose, I just padded my way over to where he was, looked up into his disbelieving eyes and said, "Take me to them Paul, it's ok now."
He turned and, opening a security gate behind himself began to move into the big building.
"I did all I could to bring them around, I tried to talk with them, I tried to play games with them, I tried..." he said, trailing off as he broke to tears, "Its not fair to them, seeing them like this."
Before us, in two of the big metal cells, were two women. Or their bodies at least, the wolf on the left was padding around her cell at first, but lifted her nose at our arrival, the other, a white tailed deer, lay fast asleep on the ground. Neither seemed to have anything left of themselves.
I turned to the coyote, "You were an inmate here weren't you Paul?" I asked, receiving a nod, "Then whatever you did to warrant being in here has been more than paid back by saving these two, keeping them safe and alive." I beamed up at the man, his tears only came faster.
"But, they are lost, they won't react to anything I do..." he began again.
Ignoring him this time, I walked up to the first cage, the wolf and leaned my power out and into her. Mother reached through me then, saying quietly into my mind, ~"I needed a bridge to do this, thank you kitten, I knew I could trust you."~
Grinning, I saw the exact moment her mind came back, taking control from the wolf instincts that had dominated her every action. "Who... who are you?" she said, looking at me.
"I'm Mothers little kitten. Hang on, I have another I need to fix." I told the wolf girl matter of factly, stepping to the cell with the deer.
Repeating the process, this time on my own now I knew the trick, I turned to Paul, "You can open the gates now, they are themselves and won't have a relapse."
Numbly he walked into the little booth at the front and threw a pair of switches making the doors clank open loudly.
Two very thankful hybrids ran out and into Paul's arms, offering their praise of him again and again for what they obviously remembered happening.
Paul could only stare at me, "Uh, 'kitten'?" he asked, "What... what are we going to do now?"
"You keep the gardens going right? That's how you have so much food?" actually I guessed, but its the only way he could have survived here so long.
He nodded, "Yeah, most of it rots of course, there's way too much to feed just us and I can't bear the thought of letting most of it die off."
"Well, Mother wants me to help some others, would you mind if I brought them here? You have spare food and there seems to be a lot of space..." I said, looking around.
"Tell you what little kitten, if you can find people, we will find room for them." Paul said, including his two companions in the deal.
"Done." I agreed, reaching inside and telling it to take me back to Mother.
I was wrapped in a huge hug as soon as the power faded, "Oh my little kitten, you did so very well!" She exclaimed.
I grinned, "There's more isn't there Mother?" I told Her as much as asked.
She nodded and I felt myself pulled away again, taken to another place, another bunch of people to bring back to their true senses. This time however, I had the four Recovered hold hands and I poured my power into moving them to the Prison.
"Paul! Paul! I have the first lot!" I called and heard him stride out, a wide grin on his muzzle.
"Little kitten, you work fast, fortunately I have more hands to help now, more still with your new friends." he said.
I looked up at the Recovered, "This man is kind and will get you food and shelter until I find out what Mother wants to do."
Their thanks faded from my hearing as my power pulled me back 'home', once again being shunted off.
Again and again She had me go out. Each time I used my power I felt something happen to me, with a startle I realised it was ageing me.
Mother met me the last time, as I arrived. "Little kitten, the task here is done now, there is no one left in this land to save." She said as I arrived.
I ran to Her arms, easily as tall as Her now, "What now then Mother?" I asked Her.
"Now, we have to take them somewhere they can live. With others just like them." She told me.
I looked at Her, a grin on my muzzle, "I am guessing you know just the place?"
"Of course little kitten, I just need you to go there first, establish an end point for me and I can send all these people." She said, indicating all the people.
My jaw gaped, "But Mother, there's hundreds!"
Her reply was only a laugh, "Go now my kitten, know that those on the other side will be protective of their own, but will not harm you if you don't threaten them."
I felt Her then, reach in and show me where to go. Laughing I built my power, knowing this would take quite a kick. More and more I stacked on, practically boiling the atmosphere around me. Finally letting out an ear splitting giggle I felt the world shift beneath me and I was suddenly standing in a very dry place, a sharp knife held to my throat by a woman pressed into my back.
"You move, just once, to harm anyone here and I will end you. Got it?" said a quiet but very very businesslike voice in my ear, I managed a slight tilt of my head. "Good. Now, what are you doing here spraying so much power as to wake the dead?" she asked me and I realised there was an odd accent to the voice.
"Mother sent me, she said I had to make this place rea-" I started but was cut off by a human who ran out shouting.
"Fox, let her go, the Goddess sent her! She is trying to bring refugees from America!" the woman yelled. I saw then, in her eyes, evidence of Mothers power.
I smiled as I felt the grip on me release. "If Sergeant O'Brian says She sent you, I trust you. More people?" I turned now, seeing the slight but solidly built fox female, knife sheathed, a dozen very strong looking fighters behind her, "More the merrier, and if the Goddess wants it, well, I owe her a favour so its fine by me."
I grinned, reaching out to Mother with all my power again, feeling a heat burn at the ground below me. The one referred to as Fox said something, well yelled, but I couldn't hear it as Mother came, along with all the others.