Accepting Forever

    

        The shove he felt between his shoulder blades was so abrupt and violent that he could do nothing but fall. The worst part of the entire experience was his complete ignorance of the large hole that lay before him. His hands, as a reflex, shot out in front of him but grasped only air until he hit the bottom, knocking the wind from his lungs. Normally, fresh earth has a somewhat pleasant smell, but this was different. The only word that came to his mind was death. Something else had died down here and its scent had seeped into the dirt directly beneath his face.

        He curled into the fetal position and struggled to find a breath. With a gasp, he rolled onto his back and stared directly up, only to see a small white circle far, far above him. “Well, this isn’t good,” he thought. “That is a long way up.” 

        It was an empty silence in which he sat with only the ringing of his own ears to hear. There was no movement, no sound of dripping water, and no sign of life, even the bugs were strangely absent. He had been sitting up with his arms draped across his knees and he could feel the ache building up in his back. With a groan, he stood and walked in a very small circle, his arm span almost covering the distance from one edge to the next. 

        “It’s so dry down here,” he thought. “Very weird. It seems like a well but whoever dug it saw it go dry… apparently.” The dirt walls only created plumes of dust as he swiped his hand across them. He kicked around the bottom of the well hoping to find something, something, anything that could be used as a tool. His toe caught something and he uncovered a broken wine bottle. “Sweet, this is perfect. This would be much easier to dig if it wasn’t so dry.”

        On his knees and digging with a small rock that he had nearly split his kneecap upon, he worked up a sweat and added a few drops of liquid to the tragically parched ground. Eventually exhuming the bottle, he was glad to see that it had, at some point in time, broken in half. The pointy edge of the bottle provided a great tool for scraping out a series of footholds in a stair step pattern. 

        Managing the first four toeholds, he struggled to create more as he held on with one hand and tried not to lose his foothold in the dry dirt. With one final lunge, he caught hold of the top edge of the ground outside and blinked aggressively to keep the dust and sweat out of his eyes. He managed to get both of his hands onto the lip above him and pull himself up onto one elbow. The dampness of the grass, the coolness of the air, and the smell of the forest around him reminded him just how beautiful life could be when not in isolation.

        He dragged himself from his dry and dirty prison, to roll onto his back and stare up at a now black and starry sky. He tried to think back over the last several hours and for the life of him, he could have sworn that he was alone when he entered the forest. 

        “I hope my car is still there,” he thought. The setting of the sun made his journey through the forest that much more difficult but he had made several mental notes about his duration and direction earlier in the day. 

        A breath of relief escaped his mouth as he stepped on to the gravel of the parking lot to see his car where he had left it, but now alone in an empty parking lot. He started the engine and started driving. Still confused about how he had ended up in that hole in the first place.

        Peering through one partially open eye, the sound of crunching gravel stirred him from his semi-conscious state. Staring at the edge of an even darker forest, he was irrationally moved to enter the darkness. Walking with a motivation even he didn’t understand, he once again found his former prison. He stood looking down at the hole and felt an all too familiar blow to the back to only come face to face with the smell of death in the dirt below.

        “Well, this isn’t good,” he muttered. “This doesn’t make any sense. The bottle, look for the bottle.”

In Hell

 

        Jeremy sat with his head in his hands and a feeling of sickness in the middle of his chest. For the fifty-five years of his too short life, he never gave any thought to what would happen after death. From anyone else’s perspective, he had it all together. He was stunningly handsome, ridiculously healthy, and incredibly gifted at predicting his investments. Most would have called his wife a trophy wife but he knew better. Megan was a bitter, selfish, and vain woman.

        Even on his wedding day, he knew he was making a mistake. The woman had no discernible skills other than buying overpriced clothes and makeup. The fact that he now sat here all alone meant that the car crash, if he remembered correctly, took only him. It was the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass that remained in his memory as he sat there on the hard concrete.

        He scraped at his chest to try to drive away the stabbing sickness and ache that filled every ounce of his being. He stood up and began wandering but every street, every corner, and every storefront looked exactly the same. He occasionally caught glimpses of others but was never able to catch up to or interact with them. Everything around him was a dull shade of gray with a certain grimy feel to it.

        He eventually stopped in front of a bakery and felt like eating a doughnut but oddly, he was not in the least bit hungry. He tried the door to go inside and order but the door was locked. He returned to the large window display to realize that he could not see his reflection in the glass. He tried multiple doors on the off chance that he could ascend to the top floor of one of the taller buildings to get a different perspective on the city.

        “This is very odd,” he murmured. “Where am I? I don’t remember arriving and why are  there so few people around?” He sat down on the curb, closed his eyes and listened, hoping to hear something, anything but he heard nothing. “How can a huge city like this be silent? No rumble of traffic. No airplanes overhead, and so few people. It seems like everything is closed.”

        He stood up and began walking in a straight line on what seemed to be a main street. After walking for at least an hour, it suddenly occurred to him that the street was not straight after all. He stopped and looked ahead and directly behind to realize that he could only see a few blocks before a curve in the street prevented a long distance view. “Okay, how about a side street?” he thought.

        Once every block a narrow alley existed, looking very much like the typical alley in his home town of New York. Dirty, graffitied, but oddly, contained no homeless people. The end of each one was the same, a chain link fence, at least three stories tall that blocked any chance of continuing past. “This is ridiculous,” he said out loud. With that thought in mind, he began yelling, calling for help, calling for attention. He even began shouting his name. “I am Jeremy,” he shouted over and over. But nothing happened.

        Laying down in the center of the road, he spread himself out like he was making a snow angel. With his eyes closed, he hoped for sleep but he did not feel in the least bit sleepy. He had no idea how long he had been laying there, as the sky did not change, the weather did not change, and his favorite Rolex was no longer on his wrist.

        He returned to the closest alley and began climbing the chain link fence. “If I can just reach the top, I can slide over and hopefully find something different.” With his neck craned upward as he climbed, he finally reached within a couple feet of the top, rotated his neck a few times to work out a kink, only to realize that the fence had somehow extended another full ten feet. “Well, that’s not good,” he thought. “Okay, something different then.”

        He immediately let go of the fence and pushed off with all four limbs, projecting himself into the open air behind him. Following a bright, white flash, he opened his eyes to find himself seated on the curb in the exact same place he was prior.

        “Hello, Jeremy,” he heard behind him. He stood up and looked up at the tallest man he had ever seen. 

        “Uh, hello,” he said. “How do you know my name?”

        “I am Gregory,” the man answered. “I’ve been watching you your entire life. You spent the last fifty-five years doing nothing of value, focused only on yourself, and your comfort. Now, as a consequence of all those decisions you made in life, you are now here. This is the reality you have created for yourself.”

        “In life?” he repeated. “What do you mean, in life?”

        “You have passed into eternity,” the man said. “You had hundreds of thousands of opportunities to do the right, to change your path, and to positively impact others but you always made the wrong choice. And now here you are.”

        “Well, now what?” he asked. “What am I supposed to do?”

        “What you do is, as it always has been, up to you,” Gregory said. “You created a solitary life for yourself. I only stopped by to give you an explanation. This is the only time you will see me. You may occasionally see others but you will never have a chance to interact with them. Because they, like you, chose solitude.”

        Gregory snapped his fingers and disappeared. “Uh, wow, that was weird,” he said. “Nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to talk to. Man, this sucks.”

        “I guess I’ll just start looking around,” he said. And with that, he started walking and checked every door and every window, only to find them all locked. He continued to do so for what seemed like hours, as he had nothing to gauge the passing of time. “I guess time only has meaning when you have a rising and setting sun.”

        He moved to the center of the street and looked up where the tops of the buildings met the painfully drab, gray sky. Turning in a slow circle, he eventually came across something that looked like a white glow, somewhere far, far in the distance. “If that’s a sun, why isn’t it moving?” he wondered.

        He started walking toward that glow but remembered that the streets were not straight but slightly curved, so he couldn’t actually approach the light. He entered the nearest alley and rolled a dumpster next to the corner of the building. He originally thought that all of the architecture was the same on all of the buildings, but this one had a groove pattern to the exterior. He stood on the dumpster and managed to get a finger and toe hold in the grooving. 

        He eventually reached the top of the building, around ten stories, he guessed. Sitting on the edge, he could see the white glow as well as the circular shape of the city. Some of the white light had cast a few rays across the top of this building and others similar to it. He walked toward the light and reached into it with one hand, only to immediately pull back as it seemed to burn.

        “Damn, for being such a beautiful light, it sure is hot… or something,” he said. He began to take steps back as the light slowly moved toward him. “That’s not good,” he said, as he watched the distance to the edge of the building behind him diminish. “Okay then, off I go,” he said. With a short sprint, he reached the edge and leapt off, hoping that his arrival at the bottom would be the same as his fall from the chain link fence.

        With his eyes closed, he could feel the wind rushing by his face. The sudden stop at the bottom came as no surprise and he found himself, alone, again, sitting on the curb near a fire hydrant. “I guess I’ll just start walking and hope for something to happen or for someone to show up.”

Like Glass

 

        One would never suspect the issues that lurked beneath the rather frightening exterior. He was large but more than large, he was huge. With a physique similar to that of the Hulk with multiple tattoos and piercings, the man only instilled fear in those who saw him. He was literally worshiped by most of the population of San Quentin. Even after he completed his sentence, he was still spoken of in fearful and respectful terms. It was always King Tony.

Sleeping on his brother’s couch, he spent most of his time away from the apartment, looking for some means to provide for himself. For those who knew what to look for, you could see it in his eyes. Like the sound of shattering glass, his brokenness was clearly evident. From birth to fourteen, he sported a continual string of bruises and broken bones, but this is what moved him into bodybuilding and then bodyguarding. At seventeen he worked for the Mexican cartel on the US side along the US Mexico border. Known for a brutality that no one else even closely approached, he protected his boss flawlessly.

The end began with a conversation that was supposed to be discreet but was spoken in the wrong place at the wrong time. The fruit of this overhead conversation was five years in prison for aggravated assault. But the brokenness only became evident shortly after serving his time. Walking out of the prison, determined to enjoy his freedom, he stood at the nearest bus stop with a handful of other non-descript people. Within a few moments, a conversation between a father and son started but quickly descended into belittling and profanity. It was the sound of a smack that caught his attention.Turning and looking at the father and son duo, to see the boy bent half over and holding his mouth, Tony couldn’t remain silent.

Looking at the father, he cleared his throat. “That wasn’t necessary,” he said through his teeth.

“Mind your own…” the father started to say until he looked at who spoke to him. “Oh… uh… yeah,” the man muttered looking down at his shoes. 

Placing his massive left hand on the man’s shoulder, he looked down at him. “You will never hit that boy again. Do you understand me?” he said.

“Uh, yes sir, yes sir, I won’t,” the man answered. As he uttered the last word, he received a fist the size of a large ham directly into his stomach.

“I mean it,” Tony said. “Never again.”

Collapsing to a heap, the man vomited the entire contents of his stomach and then vomited blood.

“Thanks mister,” the boy said.

“You bet, kid,” he answered. “No one should ever hit their own kid. “Here’s a phone number you can reach me at if anything ever happens again. I’ll be there for you.”

Pulling himself from the ground, the man laid down on the bench and tried to shake the vomit off of his shoes. Eventually the bus arrived and the small group of people all boarded. Tony sat in the back and watched the man and his boy six rows ahead of him. Humored as the man repeatedly turned around and looked at him, Tony only stared back.

Getting off the bus at the same stop as the father and son, he trailed them from a distance until they entered a rundown apartment building. “Nice,” he thought. “Only a few blocks from my brother’s place. Hopefully I don’t ever get a phone call.”

Having missed his workout that day, Tony walked the few blocks back to his brother’s apartment. Rounding the corner at the last block, he heard shouting from an alley he had just passed. Turning around, he walked in and saw a wiry man in a sky blue suit and hat yelling into the face of a young girl who wore very little clothing. “Money, bitch, I want my money,” he shouted, raising his hand to slap her.

Hurrying forward, Tony grabbed the man’s arm just as he swung. The abrupt stop dislocated the man’s shoulder and he turned, his face ashen, in shock that anyone would dare involve themselves in his business. Seeing only chest as he looked, he looked up and saw Tony’s face. Letting out a nervous laugh, he tried to excuse the situation. “Stupid bitch, she’s trying to steal my money,” he said, followed by another nervous laugh.

“Two things, little man,” Tony said. “One, don’t talk to women like that and two, if she did the work, it’s her money. Oh, and your shoulder looks like it really hurts. Let me help you with that.” Grabbing the man’s shoulder, he pushed it further out of place and pushed him to the ground. The woman slowly backed up, holding her hands out in front of her. “Here, here, take the money,” she said. “Just don’t hurt me.”

“No, no, it’s your money,” Tony said. “This piece of garbage won’t bother you again. But you need to get out of this business. It’s not right. How old are you, anyway?”

“I’m fifteen,” she said. “My mom makes me do this to get her drug money. I don’t have any choice.”

“Hold on a second,” he said, catching a glimpse of the man trying to stand up behind him. Kicking him just before he got to his feet, the man collapsed a second time. Stomping on his hand, Tony could hear multiple bones snap under the pressure. The man rolled to his back and grabbed his hand with his other hand. “Oh, does your hand hurt?” Tony asked.

Tony then stomped a second time, this time on both hands and heard a second round of snapping bones. Grabbing the man by the front of his jacket, Tony slammed his fist directly into his face, rendering the man unconscious. “That should help him remember what I said.”

“Wow, I’ve been wanting someone to do something like that for a long time,” the girl said. “Who are you?”

“My name is Tony and I just had an idea to help you,” he said. “I know a place where you can stay and have a normal life and go to school and stuff. Will you let me help?”

“Uh, maybe,” she said. “What are you thinking? Cause I’m not sleeping with you.”

“No, no, nothing like,” he said. “You’re just a kid. There’s a family just a couple of blocks over that can help you. Come on.”

The odd couple walked down the sidewalk back toward the apartment building of the father and son duo. As they approached, Tony saw the boy come out of the building. “Hey kid,” he shouted, “can I talk to you for a second?”

The boy ran over but kept a safe distance. “Yeah, what’s up?” he asked.

“What apartment do you live in? I need to talk to your dad again.”

“We live in 215 but my mom lives there too. Can I ask why?”

“I’ll fill you in after I talk to him,” Tony said. “But I need you to stay here for a few minutes and talk with… her. I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“I’m Brandy,” the girl said. 

“Okay, I need you to stand here and talk to Brandy. It’ll only take a couple of minutes.”

The two teens stood in awkward silence, occasionally glancing at one another. “So, how do you know Tony?” Brandy asked.

“I don’t really know him,” he said. “My dad hit me while we were waiting at a bus stop and Tony saw him do it. He then proceeded to beat the crap out of him and told him that if he ever hit me again, he would regret it.”

“Wow, that’s crazy,” she said. “I had kind of the same thing. My pimp was yelling at me and just about hit me when Tony walked up and beat him, breaking a bunch of bones. I don’t know what to think. Is he a good guy?”

“It kind of seems like it, but he’s pretty scary looking,” he answered.

A loud whistle came from the apartment building and looking up they saw Tony motioning for them to come back in.

“Good news, Brandy,” Tony said, “Mr. and Mrs. Bergen here agreed to give you your own bedroom and keep an eye on you so you can go back to school. They understand that I’ll be checking up on you often. That means you’ll be safe.”

“But what about my stuff at home?” she asked. 

“Not a problem,” he answered. “You and I can go pick it all up. I promise you, no one will give us any trouble.”

Returning to the Bergen’s apartment an hour later, they showed Brandy her room. Tony pulled Mr. Bergen into the hallway and closed the door behind them. “I want to make myself perfectly clear here, Bergen,” Tony said. “These two kinds need stability and protection. You give the one and I’ll give the other. If anything happens to either one of them, our little interaction at the bus stop will seem like a vacation. You do not want to see how I’ll respond if you make me angry. Clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Bergen said. 

“To make it a little easier, I’ll be giving Brandy money once in a while,” he said. “But it is for her, not you. Again, am I clear?”

“Yes, sir, very clear,” he answered.

Leaving the building, Tony walked downtown and stood in front of a small grocery store with a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the front window. Looking back and forth from the sign to his own reflection, he was torn about what to do. “Minimum wage, really?” he thought. “That is so little money for so much time. I think using my actual skills might make more sense.”

Heading across town, he stepped into Lucky’s Bar and asked for Lucky. Waiting for a moment, a large man in a black t-shirt at least two sizes too small approached him. “Lucky said he’d talk to you now. Follow me.”

Following the man into a plush office, he was greeted by a middle aged man with a large cigar. “Tony, I didn’t know you were out,” Lucky said. “What can I do for you? I hope you’re looking for work because I can certainly use you.”

“Hey Lucky, good to see you too,” he answered. “Yeah, I’m looking for work but I need to stay on the right side of the law. I can’t go back inside. Can I bounce here or something?”

“Yeah, I can fit you in,” he said. “Be here tonight at ten. We’ll make something work.”

Assassins Inc. - Part Five

 

Book Five: The Climax

Mircea had just guided Teodor’s family back into the SUV after a dinner party on the other side of town. The family sat in near silence with the sounds of Swan Lake barely audible in the background. 

“Mircea, here, listen to this,” Amelia, the teenage daughter said to him, holding out an earbud. “My favorite artist just released a new song and it’s really good. I think you’ll like it.”

With a smile, Mircea slid the earbud into his ear and listened to a surprisingly gifted singer, a young man, he thought. The song finished and he returned the earbud. “That was nice,” he said. “The message somewhat surprises me. Usually these types of songs are about romance but this one, this was different.”

“Yeah, I know, right,” Amelia said. “This guy is from South Korea and typically his songs are romantic but he seems to be changing lately. This one is all about loving everyone and stopping war. It’s got over a million streams already.”

Mircea reached over and tipped the screen of her phone towards himself and read the name. “Yimyum, hmm, interesting name,” he said. “His message is almost exactly the same as your father and I have been discussing. I have to say that Yimyum is right.”

“Well, that’s pretty cool,” she said. “I think the world is changing. I think we’re moving away from so much hatred and war and violence.”

“That’s really good, Amelia,” he said. “I have to agree with you. I think things will get better over time. It’s kind of like we’re coming out of a valley and we’re seeing more and more.”

He climbed out of the SUV as it pulled up in front of their home and scanned the area. He opened the front door and then the doors to the vehicle and directed the family inside. “Have a good evening everyone,” he said. “I’ll be in the main security office if anyone needs anything.”

Symeon and Melvin sat in front of possibly the largest TV he had ever seen, watching a rugby match between Scotland and Wales. He had to hold his tongue and not comment on what he considered to be absolutely silliness and a waste of time, as grown men chased one another around a field in competition over a ball. 

“Have you given any more thought to my idea about wireless DC?” Symeon asked Melvin. “We both know that this would solve many of the problems the entire world is facing today.”

“You know, Symeon,” Melvin said. “I’ve been the CEO of Terminator Electronics for over a dozen years and honestly, I feel somewhat embarrassed for not seeing this as the best path. So, yes, I think you’re right. I was going to wait until after the game to tell you but I have a meeting set up with the UN to discuss how I plan to implement this.”

“The UN?” Symeon answered. “That’s fabulous. That will address most of the Western world but what about everyone else?”

“I’m thinking that if we can get a working model in place on a smaller scale,” he answered, “that interest should explode as people see the endless possibilities. I think the biggest struggle is going to be against the traditional power models already in place. Oil, coal, nuclear, and the green efforts aren’t going to like losing their revenue. With wireless DC in place, no one makes money, except for the companies that build the batteries.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about the others,” he said. “With your influence in so many fields. Once you make the science well known and the solution obvious, there will be no turning back. I know enough people to make any pushback seem like the panicked response of people only hungry for money and control. Tell me more about the UN.”

“Of all nations,” he started, “I am meeting with the representative from Albania. He seemed genuinely excited about the idea of providing help like this to so many people. His perspective seems so different from all the others there. Honestly, the way this guy talks sounds a lot like you.”

“Me? Really? That’s interesting,” he said. “If it’s possible, I’d like to come along for the meeting.”

        “Yeah, for sure,” Melvin answered. “I can make that happen.”

         Alexei stood on the balcony on the 45th floor, overlooking the city of Seoul. The air was cold and reminded him of his forest back in northern Russia. The sound of the glass door behind him opening up prompted him to turn around.

        “Alexei, there you are,” Yimyum said. “I wanted to tell you about my new single.”

        “Yes, please do,” he said. “I assume it’s doing well like I predicted.”

        “It is,” he answered. “Even with the change in lyrics, it’s already reached over a million streams, just on one platform. With that kind of success, I need more wisdom from you. You seem to be thinking what people need, even if they don’t know it. This really looks like a turning point in my career.”

        “Of course, let’s get some dinner, somewhere quiet,” he said. “We can talk over a meal. That makes for a good time. Oh, and don’t let your manager talk you out of the direction you are going. I’m certain we both understand that, like you said, you’ve turned a corner and are heading for great success. I’m glad that I have been able to help you.”

        “Oh, one other thing,” Yimyum said, “We’ve started planning for my next tour. It will probably be another six months out yet. I need to get a few more singles out and finalize the next album. I’m feeling really good about this.”

        Jose returned to “The Inbetween” with his tablet in hand. “Jahwn, Joshua, do you have a minute?” he asked.

        “Yes, absolutely,” they answered. “From what we’ve been seeing and hearing, it sounds like the plan is going really well.”

        “It is,” he answered, skimming through his tablet. “This is going to take a long time and a lot of people are not very happy with Melvin, Teodor, and Yimyum. Symeon, Alexei, and Mircea have chosen well and are making very good progress. Even without knowing about one another’s specific work, the three paths are merging and impacting one another in a great way.”

        “You are doing well, Jose,” Jahwn said. “This will take centuries to complete so make sure these men have progeny or successors in place who will continue their work. This will be an enormous fight and their opposition won’t simply stop opposing them. As their cultures embrace them, their cultures will begin to change. Continue the good fight. I promise we will win this.”

Assassins Inc. - Part Four

 

Book Four: The Execution

In an amazing feat of synchronicity, the three pairs of men sat together in three very different settings. Jahwn sat across from Alexei in a steady drizzle and watched the water drip off of the old man’s nose. Jose had finally discovered Symeon’s hideaway, deep in a series of caves and felt as if his body had no more moisture to give to the unrelenting heat. Joshua sat in a quiet and warm library, sipping a white chocolate mocha and began explaining the assignment that Mircea was to undertake.

In the vaguest of terms, each man gave his singular audience the rationale and the desired end result of the work that lay ahead of them. “Just remember, there will be many, many people and organizations who are completely opposed to what it is you are setting out to accomplish. They will undertake any means necessary to try to stop you. This will be dangerous work and your very life could be at stake,” each one of them said.

“Alexei,” Jahwn said, “you will find your target in eastern Asia. I will not tell you specifically who you are to approach. I trust that you will use wisdom and will persevere. Your success in this endeavor will have an impact on the entire Asian world. Once I return home, it will be your responsibility to reason and act.”

“Symeon,” Jose said, “you will find your target in the United States. It will be up to you to choose whomever you wish. The US will be a very difficult field to navigate, as they tend to be very stubborn and individualistic. But if you succeed, their impact will be the greatest.”

“Mircea,” Joshua said, “you will find your target within the nations of western Europe. I can assure you that this plan will work and each of you, yes, there are two others who will be performing the same work as yourself, will change the very direction of life on this planet. Your efforts will be greatly rewarded. If there are no other questions, I need to be going now. Thank you for your time.”

As each man departed from his respective location, they each shared in one another’s environments, creating a balance in their unity. The excessive heat was balanced out by the chill of the forest, the heavy, thick moisture was balanced by the dryness of the desert, and the comfort of the library and coffee set the overall ambience to that of a balance between comfort and distress.

Without a further thought, Joshua immediately returned to the airport in Bucharest and purchased a return flight for an immediate departure. In a remarkable imitation of his arrival flight, he slept the entire way back to the city of origin in Kyrgyzstan. Again, awakened by the stewardess several minutes after the landing, he apologized for the inconvenience and made his way to the pickup zone in front of the airport. He stepped through the outer doors at exactly 8:15 am, as planned, to see Jahwn, Jose, and a driver approach in what he assumed to be a rental car. 

“Now that we have reunited,” Jahwn said, “I thought it would be best if we spent the rest of our time at “The Inbetween.” But,” he continued, “Jose, I will need you to spend most of your time overseeing our new project.”

“Overseeing?” Jose asked. “I’m not sure that my singular efforts overseeing the activities of three people is very realistic.”

“Oh, you won’t be alone,” Jahwn answered. “You can have as many messengers to help you as you like. Joshua, myself, and Joshua’s mother will remain here, and we will provide anything you need to ensure that this project is successful.”

The three men walked into the building, its front facing the massive city that covered so much ground, and the opposite side backed up to the ancient forest. “The best of both worlds,” Joshua said as they walked in. “Thank you for taking this on, Jose. My work among the city dwellers has reached its end and I know that your oversight and interaction will be stunningly productive.”

Jose spent the next forty days preparing an oversight plan and gathering messengers to help him in the effort. Like bees flowing into a field of wildflowers, the messengers found their assignments and provided discreet help whenever possible. Jose spent his time traveling from Symeon to Alexei to Mircea and back again, an unending circle, dropping subtle hints, suggestions, and even the occasional obvious spectacle. 

Always from some distance, depending on the energy each chosen man was emanating, Jose watched the men plan and prepare. The messengers were like a constant swarm of mosquitoes around them, dropping hints, suggestions, and speaking wisdom with the hope that they would listen. 

In a matter of days, Alexei, Symeon, and Mircea departed from their homes, their friends, and their countries to begin their search. Completely unaware of the other’s activities or locations, they each took a very similar path of watching the news, reading about current events, and following the source of the money that was getting things done.

In what any normal person would have considered stalking, Symeon began to physically follow his target, the CEO of several tech companies. Eventually learning his schedule, his friends, and his places of preference, he carefully placed himself in locations that allowed for communication, albeit brief. The initial interaction was the typical inane chit-chat that average people did when beginning a new relationship.

        The relationship slowly evolved and Symeon began to pose thoughtful, more in depth questions about the man’s life choices, his motivations, and his long-term goals. His thirty-five plus years in deep isolation and introspection gave him a perspective radically different than anything the man had ever heard.

        What started as a few kind words between strangers in line at a coffee shop turned into a deep friendship where Symeon was offering guidance and advice for nearly every aspect of the man’s life. 

        Alexei, at the same time, was facing a far greater challenge. After months of great struggle to find someone with the kind of power and influence to make a difference, he decided upon a young musician from South Korea with a massive social following. The boy was hardly interested in listening to the philosophy and ethics of an old, Russian man but Alexei persisted in his efforts. Often nearly overcome with frustration at the boy's foolishness and shallow lifestyle, he continued to interact with him at every opportunity. 

        As he struggled to understand the boy’s mindset, Alexei decided on immersing himself in pop culture. Like after eating too much sugar, he had to regularly clear his mind and keep his heart from losing its perspective. Happy that the boy was not on tour, Alexei would subtly suggest ideas within the boy’s hearing that he knew were contrary to everything he believed. But he also knew that truth always wins out and would eventually influence his thinking and eventually his actions. 

        Mircea found himself very much at home in the comfort and flash of the high culture of western Europe. He took up residence in Brussels, on the belief that influencing someone in the political field would be most advantageous. “I know this will take a while,” he thought, “but I don’t think there is any other choice.” He was powerful and fit for an old man, for any man for that matter, so he took on a job with security, eventually working his way into the security detail for the economic advisor for the Albanian branch of the UN, Teodor Gega.

        Teodor was stunningly brilliant with multiple Phds and a fluency in multiple languages. In a manner very similar to Symeon, Mircea started his interaction with small talk, maintaining a friendly and teachable demeanor.  Feigning a basic ignorance of all things political, he simultaneously dropped “good” ideas in their conversations, winning over the man’s respect and surprise at his insight and clarity of thinking.

        After nearly six months of working security, Mircea became his immediate bodyguard, never leaving the man’s side and befriending his family, eventually earning invitations to family events and celebrations. 

Assassins Inc. - Part Three

Part Three: The Assignment

The rocking motion of the train did its best to lull Jose into a slumber, so he repeatedly rose to his feet and paced the aisle way of the passenger car. The air was a perfect temperature, which came as no surprise, considering the high cost of his seat. He watched the landscape slowly change from densely populated steel and concrete to sparse neighborhoods and finally to empty desert.

He purchased a bottle of chilled, carbonated water from the dining car and sipped it to try to counter the comfort of the ride and the rocking of the train. As darkness began to fall, he retired to his private room in the sleeper car. The darkness of his cabin and the rocking of the train worked in tandem to pull his eyes closed. He sat up and began to write some notes for himself to convince Symeon of the difficult task that lay ahead of him. 

It was when his forehead hit the small table that he gave up the fight and lay down for a restful sleep. He had just finished his dinner the following day when the train pulled into Asyut, Egypt. The unremarkable single shade of brown that filled every inch of visible landscape left him feeling somewhat unimpressed. With nothing more than a backpack, he stepped off the train into what felt like a furnace and he could feel all the moisture suddenly wick out of his body.

He was immediately surrounded by local guides looking for a quick payoff from an ignorant tourist, but he brushed them off by speaking flawless Arabic. Clearly an outsider, his great height and his modern dress were dead giveaways. He slowly walked to the southwest edge of town and triangulated his best guest for Symeon’s location. He made a mental note of his exact location and returned to the center of town to rent a hotel room in wait for the sunrise of the coming day.

Just before the arrival of the sun, he slipped out of the city in perfect silence and began his hunt for the reclusive Symeon. 

At the edge of the far northern forests of Russia, Jahwn could sense the warmth that Jose was absorbing but at the same time, he struggled to fight off the damp chill of his present surroundings. His spacious rental car sat behind him, its warm engine still ticking from his 400 km drive to Lake Beloye from St Petersburg. “This is not going to be easy,” he thought. “I don’t think I have ever seen a forest this thick before.”

He reached out and touched the nearest tree and closed his eyes, listening, feeling, and sensing anything that he could. “I would like to think that beginning my search at the start of the day was a wise move, but the density of this canopy ceiling is mostly impenetrable to light,” he thought. “All I can do is start… but I need to be smart about this.”

He marked his path with orange flags and eventually came across a narrow foot path. “Perfect,” he muttered. “At least this is something to follow.” The path continued in a haphazard fashion, often doubling back on itself with no real sense of direction or logic. He stopped at a sharp embankment and caught a scent of wood smoke. “That has to mean something,” he thought.

The smell became stronger, and he followed the scent despite its deviation from the path. Forced to stop at a deep crevasse, he saw an old man sitting inside a massive rotted out tree stump, opposite him. The man sat with his eyes closed and abruptly looked up at him, stood in his place and with an agility seemingly far beyond that of one so aged, he slid down one side of the deep crevice and clamored up the other side.

“Hello, venerable father,” he said. “My name is Alexei. You have come to me with information, I suspect. Come with me to my cabin and we can speak there.” 

Joshua stood in the middle of a massive empty parking lot. With the keys in hand, he scanned over the emptiness and finally spotted his vehicle parked at the far edge near the back fence. The wind was blisteringly cold, and he cupped his hands in front of his face to avoid taking the terrible chill into his lungs. 

He hurried into the vehicle and felt a wave of warmth pass over him, as well as a hint of smoke. “Looks like I’m behind schedule,” he thought. The small, hand drawn map gave him basic directions to find Mircea. “Only one hour away, they said,” he muttered. “At least he doesn’t live in a cave or the deep forest.”

He grumbled under his breath as the traffic grew only heavier as he tried to reach his destination. His small map led him to the edge of the city and up a long driveway into the woods. The road turned into a dirt path and only continued to narrow until he reached an open field, fronted by a stunning, well lit A frame building. 

He approached the front porch and rang the small bell hanging near it. 

“I’ve been expecting you,” a deep voice sounded behind him. With a jump, he turned around.

“Good evening, sorry to come so late,” he said. “I am looking for Mircea.”

“You have found him,” the man said. “Let’s get inside out of this cold. We can find a warm drink and talk in the library, if you don’t mind.”

Assassins Inc. - Part Two

 

Part Two: The Selection

Returning to the base of the mountain but still in the depths of ancient forest, they embraced one another and departed in different directions. Their separation was merely physical but they remained connected in a way that escaped the understanding of normal men. The three of them moved at a steady pace and walked until dusk, knowing the beauty of their surroundings would soon end. The ancient forest had been protected for centuries and despite its natural beauty, it was still surrounded by massive cities of inescapable technology.

They reached the edge of the forest in three separate locations, each one far from the others, and looked at the visual brilliance of the cities they were about to enter. In perfect synchronicity, they released a collective sigh and stepped from earth to blacktop. Shedding their brown robes, their thus far hidden attire now exposed, allowed them to blend into the modern cultures of the singular metropolis that covered every habitable inch of the planet.

The contrast could not have been any more stark. Each one, at the exact same moment, felt a shudder pass through them as they left the natural beauty of the forest for the palpable corruption of the steel and glass. It was at that moment that their uniformity stopped as they each needed to find a means of transport to their final destinations. 

While they had departed in three different directions, south, east and north, they all, strangely enough, needed to go west for the most part. The flow of pedestrian traffic swallowed them and they went with the natural ebb of voluminous foot traffic. Jose drifted to his right and entered a communique. As he scrolled through his options, he decided on travel by train, as his path covered mostly desert. The retinal scanner identified him and charged his account for the one way ticket, ending in Asyut, Egypt.

Jahwn, as well, merged into the flow of pedestrians in his part of the city. Standing nearly a foot taller than those around him, he knew that he stook out but did his best to blend in regardless. Hailing a taxi, he gave the driver instructions to take him to the nearest airport. 

“I know this city very well, driver,” he said. “Take me directly to the airport with no detours or elongated paths. My time is short. Be direct, please.”

The car weaved through heavy traffic, seemingly stopped by every traffic light. With the airport in sight, the car came to a complete stop, as there seemed to be an accident of some sort slightly up ahead. Jahwn paid his fare and exited the vehicle in the middle of the road. “I’ll walk the rest of the way,” he said. 

        His massive frame too stuck out as oddly oversized in contrast to the others on the sidewalk. He visited three counters before he found a flight to St Petersburg, Russia for that day. After buying his ticket, he made his way through airport security and took a seat near the check in desk. Always in awe of the variety of people in crowded places such as this, he people-watched for several hours until seating instructions for his flight were announced. Not one to hurry into anything, he waited until the last moment before boarding. 

        With his head tilted slightly forward, and his knees slightly bent, he worked his way down the aisle and lowered himself into his aisle seat, the last one onto the plane, joining what appeared to be a teenage girl in the window seat next to him. As the plane lifted into the air, he could clearly see the young girl tense up and grip the armrests, while still maintaining her sense of calm.

        A long, exasperated breath let him know that the girl finally relaxed, to be followed by an unending stream of inane questions and stories. He tried to answer her, but her endless stream of talk forbade him from doing so. Learning more about pop culture than he ever thought possible, he smiled and nodded as she continued her monologue for most of the trip. 

        Eventually zoning her out, he focused his attention on his heart in an attempt to find some peace and quiet. “This is going to be a long twelve hours,” he muttered to himself. 

        More than anything Joshua found himself wandering, and eventually he ended up in a conversation with a very short man with a very large nose. The two sat on a park bench and ran a circuitous verbal path from religion to politics to philosophy to ethics. Listening to the man talk, Joshua was quite impressed with the man’s depth of knowledge and clarity of thought. They agreed on much but disagreed on an equal amount. 

        Extracting himself from the conversation, he caught a bus and immediately found himself in another conversation with a very elderly woman with no teeth. This new conversation was nothing like the last and he kept their dialogue as light and friendly as possible. After only a few minutes, the bus stopped and he apologized to the woman for having to end their talk. He stepped off the bus and jogged across the street through heavy traffic, receiving no less than three aggressive honks.

        He entered a travel agency and thumbed through a number of brochures on the front counter. “Boat? No, that wouldn’t get me there. Rent a car? No, it’s too far. I guess it’s a plane ride then,” he said out loud. 

        Startled by the unexpected touch on his hand from the young woman at the counter, he caught himself before vocally responding. “I overheard you say you needed to buy a flight?” she said.

        “Yes, I need to get to Bucharest, Romania, today if possible,” he said.

        “Yes, I think we can do that,” she answered. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll find you a flight. Will you need a hotel or a car rental once you arrive in Bucharest?”

        “I will not need a hotel, I am meeting friends,” he said. “But a car rental would be very helpful.” 

        “Considering how big of a man you are, I would recommend the Cadillac,” she said. “I don’t know how much driving you’ll do but personally, I would hate to be crammed into a car too small for me. Does that sound alright?”

        “That would be great, thank you,” he answered. He pressed the flat of his index finger onto the scanner as the total charge came up on the screen. With a ding, the screen flashed, “Paid”.

        “You’ve got about forty-five minutes before your flight leaves,” she said. “Any sort of DNA scan will give you access to your flight and then your car rental once you arrive in Bucharest. I would recommend getting through airport security as soon as you can.”

        “Thank you,” he responded. 

        With a first-class boarding pass, he was the first one onto the plane and he ordered a cranberry juice as soon as he took his seat. It was the gentle squeeze on his forearm that woke him. 

        “Sorry to wake you, sir,” the stewardess said, “but we landed about ten minutes ago. I need you to exit the aircraft. It’s time for the cleaning crew to do their job. Thanks for flying with us.” Shaking his head, he realized that he could remember nothing of the flight and that he apparently had slept the entire time. A shiver erupted through him as he stepped into the cold air of Bucharest and he made his way toward the car rental agency.

Assassins Inc. - Part One

 

Part One: The Gathering

    The three men walked in silence, the only sound was that of fallen leaves and branches crunching beneath their feet. The air was cool but not cold and the once present fog still hinted an influence. The deep forest in which they first began their journey slowly thinned out to small saplings, sparse underbrush, and finally to nothing more than rocks. In unison, almost as if a single entity, they stopped and looked out across the vast sky to their left. 

    Their brown robes stole any hint of distinction between the three of them. Clearly related, they carried an air of nobility but at the same time, love seemed to emanate from them. Even a brief glance into their eyes revealed a piercing kindness, an immediate flood of compassion and deep wisdom. But their appearance argued a definite ambiguity of origin. One wanted to suggest a Middle Eastern heritage but everything else seemed to be there as well.

    The open, deep blue sky hung above a layer of fluffy white clouds. The view was glorious but they knew that nothing of beauty sat below the clouds. In a single movement, they slipped into the cave behind them and sat in a circle, facing one another. The eldest among them motioned for the others to wait as they sat in silence. There was nothing awkward about their relationship. There was a beautiful synergy between them. If one didn’t know the impossibility of it, he would almost think of them as a single entity but they were still three. 

    In a single motion, one of them placed small kindling in the fire pit between them, the second, laid larger wood upon it and the third ignited the small canopy. They watched the small flame grow into a comfortable, snapping, orange glow and warmth began to creep across the cave, casting its flickering embrace upon everything it touched.

    “Gentlemen, we must act,” one of them said. “That which lies below the cloudline must be addressed and acted upon. If we do nothing, those below will eventually destroy themselves and their progeny. Their own foolishness has rendered them incapable of helping themselves.”

    “Yes, Jahwn,” one of them answered. “We understand the problem but don’t forget about the three who have not forgotten the truth. It is with these that restoration can take place.” As these final words echoed upon the walls around them, they sat in silence for several moments, each giving deep thought to the next steps that must take place. 

    “We know what must be done,” the third said. “We must descend from our place and set in motion that which must happen if we are to restore reality from its corruption.” 

    “What you speak is true,” the second said. “But the effort is not ours alone. Our work can never be imposed, it must be a work between us and them. We see the end from the beginning but their actions must be from the decisions they freely make. Our influence will be real and it will be certain but it cannot be imposed. Direction, suggestion, and opportunity, these we will provide.”

    “We all know what must be done,” the first said. “Now is the time to act.”

    In one fluid motion, they stood, added a large amount of wood to the fire and left the cave, the orange glow licking out upon the ground outside the entrance. They stopped again and looked out across the limitless blue sky with its white pillow foundation. 

    “Jose, you will go to the western desert of Egypt and find Symeon,” one of them said. “Use your wisdom to guide and instruct him. You must be discreet in your interaction. The solitude that his kind practice makes them somewhat unapproachable. Be wise and gentle.”

    “Joshua, you are to go to the land of Romania,” he continued. “It is there that you will find Mircea. He will not be easy to convince of the work we have for him. His many years in isolation have passed and he has taken on the role of leadership for many in his land. He is very connected to his people and will want to stay among them. But I trust that you will eventually sway him.”

    “And I, Jahwn, will go to the northern forests of Russia,” he said. “Like the others, Alexei has been in seclusion for many decades. He has grown to a place where he is ready to expand his influence. When we eventually convince these men of the work that needs to be done, we will see the darkness that has overtaken this land weaken, decline, and eventually be defeated. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important this is. These men will be following a path that will bring a type of death for those upon whom they focus. There are many who will oppose them to try to prevent this from happening.”

    “I trust that their time in isolation will have prepared them for the certain fight that lay ahead, " Jose said. “We must use our time in travel to prepare our messages for them. They must understand the end goal, the opposition they will face, and the lies that will be spoken against them.”

    “They will be exerting a certain type of violence when they begin this work,” Joshua said. “And a different kind of violence will be poured out upon them in return. This is a glorious and terrible endeavor we are putting into action.”

The Contention, the Decision, and the Decline

 

        The two creatures stood in silence looking down upon the lush, green valley before them. The small hill provided just enough of a distant perspective to help them understand that something needed to be done. “It’s been a number of years since we first left,” the younger one said. “Our  numbers have grown, both of our herds are much larger than this land can handle. We need to do something different.”

“You are right, Lemuel,” the older one said. “Bitterness is beginning to grow and we need to address the main problem before this turns into hatred.” Scratching the claws of his padded front foot across the ground in front of him, he let out a sigh. “This is a beautiful land but the peace of our herds is more important. Success means nothing without peace.”

“I must defer to your wisdom, Agros,” he said. “We have depended upon one another all of this time and the enemies that surround us may see our separation as a chance to attack. Should we be concerned over a display of possible vulnerability?”

“I don’t think we need to be concerned,” he said. “We are quite small to most of them. They have mighty armies with many, many warriors. I don’t think they see our two small herds from a land far away as anything of importance. But what you do need to do is think carefully about what it is you want to achieve and what direction you want to lead your clan. Look around you and think long and hard. Do not be hasty.”

Both creatures sat back on their haunches in silence, looking across the open land. Lemuel lay down and rolled onto his back, his four furry legs sticking into the hair. He closed his eyes and allowed the smells carried by the breeze to wash through his senses. Even as a capybara, he was far larger than all of the others, even his older uncle, Agros. Reopening his eyes and looking across the valley, his attention continued to be drawn north to the large city in the far distance.

“City life is a completely different experience than anything else,” Agros said. “Being in the midst of so many people, especially people who are not our own can be dangerous. You are a grown buck now and you must take up that responsibility. Your herd will follow you wherever you lead them but you need to be wise. It is your decision.”

“Let’s meet here again tomorrow about the same time,” he said. “It is best if I can formulate the question in my mind and then sleep on it. I will have an answer tomorrow.”

Touching snouts as they parted ways at the foot of the hill, they returned to their herds and were each joined by their families, extended and close, on opposite sides of the watering hole. 

“Was any decision made?” Agros’ wife asked.

“No, no decision yet,” he answered. “I told him to think carefully and we will meet again tomorrow and discuss how to proceed. I hate to see our herds split up but we all know that discontent is a problem.”

“It’s not like we’ll never see them again,” she said. “If we spread out to opposite sides of the valley, there will be more room for us both to grow. There is plenty here and we can always visit any time.”

Agros arrived early the next day and stood on the hill alone, watching his nephew trot up the pathway toward him. He sat and waited while the young buck followed the circuitous route up to their vantage point. He redirected his gaze to the valley and heard the padded footsteps approach from behind. The two sat in silence for a moment until Lemuel cleared his throat. 

“I think,” he said, “that we’ll take the valley toward the right. Irti spoke in no uncertain terms that she wants to be nearer the great city. Something about getting to know more people and having some different social interactions.”

“Okay then,” he said. “I will respect your decision but it would be wrong of me not to remind you of my warning yesterday about that city. Remember our ancestors and how the great female rebellion led to such trouble. The decision is yours but do not let your wife lead you.”

“Yes, I understand,” he said. “This is what I have decided.”

“Very well then. I will notify my immediate kin and we will begin preparations for the move. I suggest that what is now our main watering hole should remain a place for both our herds but only as a backup. I will send out a search party to locate the best body of water to the left. I suggest you do the same. It is upon their return that we will begin to move in that direction.”

“It is important that we stay in contact, Uncle,” he said. “I greatly value your wisdom and direction. May the gods guide and protect you. Thank you for hearing me out and respecting my decision. I need to get home now.”

“Something is not sitting right with me, Sanara,” Agros said to his wife. “I know that we need to divide up from Lemuel and his herd but the idea of them moving close to the city so that Irti can be closer to other people just doesn’t seem right. I’m worried about what that could turn into.”

“She’s always been discontent,” she said. “Even when all the females get together, she doesn’t involve herself. But I know what you’re saying. She is different. When do you expect the search party to leave and return? Everyone will want to know how soon we’ll be leaving.”

“I don’t expect them to take more than a day to survey the land,” he said. “I’ll send them out first thing tomorrow morning and would be surprised if they weren’t back by sundown. How long it takes us to move will depend on how far away the next watering hole is and how difficult the travel.”

After dinner, Agros called to himself one of the young men from his herd. “Sysoev,” he said. “I need you to deliver a message to all of the males of the tribe. Tell them that a search party will be sent out at sunrise, tomorrow morning, and the entire herd will need to be there to send them off.”

Agros and Sanara stood in the water that evening, their snouts the only part of them exposed to the air. A sudden and aggressive movement in the water caught his attention and he swam to the edge of the watering hole and stepped out, shaking the excess water from his fur. A small group of young cubs were running back and forth across one edge of the pond shouting about something, which he couldn’t understand.

Looking across the valley behind him, he saw the sun had begun to set. “Ah, I know what it is,” he thought. He called his wife from the water and shared his guess as to the source of all the excitement. “I better get to the south edge of the camp. I bet the search party has returned.” He arrived at their departure point to see them surrounded by some of the other elders. “Sysoev, come here please,” he called out.

“Yes, Agros, what is it?” he asked.

“Work your way through the camp and tell everyone that the search party has returned,” he said. “The elders and I will meet with them. Please have the children kept away until we are finished with our discussion. We’ll have a decision about our departure within the hour. Thank you.”

Most of the next day was spent in preparations for their departure. “We need to be on our way by noon,” he said, a message repeated throughout the camp more times than he could count. The herd had gathered into family groups as he had suggested and precisely at noon he walked through the camp one last time giving direction on the safest order for them all to travel.

His own herd had settled into their new home and watering hole and began preparations for the coming cooler weather. “I do miss Lemuel and his family,” Sanara said, “but it has been really nice with the extra room and the lack of arguments. Did you and he make any kind of plan for staying in contact?”

“We did,” he said. “We’ll meet on our hillside on the first full moon of each summer. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he forgets about us. His wife has never been too interested in seeing our herds interact. I guess we’ll see though.”

The cold season came and went and the cubs were especially excited to eat grass once again, having grown tired of reeds. “Sysoev and Amblin have mated,” his wife said. “It is a happy thing to see them together. We haven’t experienced such peace since Lemuel’s herd left. It is exciting to see such growth within our own families.”

“This new watering hole is even larger than the last one,” he said. “This new place will be very good for us for a long time. Speaking of that, let’s go to the water right now. I could use a swim with this warmer weather.”

The two of them began to walk into the water and Agros watched his wife slip beneath the surface. Leaning forward to follow her, shouting disrupted his intentions. Hearing his name being called, he returned to land and looked for the source of the commotion. Three middle-aged bucks were running toward him, calling his name. He ran ahead to meet them halfway and immediately recognized them as three of Lemuel’s offspring. 

“What is this all about?” he asked.

The eldest of the three began explaining the purpose of their visit. “Agros, please Lemuel needs your help,” he said. “A battalion of jaguars came out of nowhere and have taken most of the herd captive. We were out scouting for additional watering holes when we heard the chaos. There was nothing we could do.”

“This is dire,” Agros said. “Stay with me. I’ll put together a group and see if we can find them and help in some way.”

“We know where they’ve taken them,” he said. “We can show you but it is in a dangerous place. There is some sort of war going on too. The jaguars and a few others with them seem to be at war with the Pumas and some others.”

Agros trotted off and found the first young male he could. “Mangore,” he called out. “Deliver a message to as many in the tribe as you can. Have them meet me at the watering hole. Serious action needs to be taken. Be quick.”

Within minutes, the entire herd had gathered at the watering hole, the females and cubs looking frightened and concerned, while the young males were clearly excited and thrilled at the prospect of being involved in an aggressive response. Agros explained what he had been told, with a few additional comments from the three visitors. He climbed up on a nearby rock and looked across the herd, counting the able bodied and mature males among them.

“A total of eighteen of us will go, and we will need to devise a plan to rescue Lemuel and his herd,” he said. “I will carefully choose some and leave others, as we cannot leave the women and children without protection. This will be dangerous but we must act swiftly and thoughtfully. I promise we will return victorious.”

A wave of murmuring immediately swept over the herd and Agros called together the males, giving further details and direction to each group. “Most importantly,” he said. “You all need to console the females and the cubs. Thank you to those of you who will be staying behind. Your role in all of this is just as important as the team that will be venturing into enemy territory. We all need to be brave and smart. Everyone take the time to speak to your wives and meet at the north end of the land.”

As the last of the rescue team arrived, they all followed the three bucks from Lemuel’s herd along the base of the foothills all the way through Lemuel’s land into a thick grove of trees. “Lemuel’s men tell us that the jaguars led the others alongside this forest and down into a valley just beyond. Myself and four others will need to survey what lies ahead and form a plan as to how to proceed. We will be back within the hour.”

As the surveillance crew disappeared into the valley, the rest of the males surveyed the land beyond the edge of the forest, developing several possible plans for the many scenarios that could take place following the rescue. The sound of whistling alerted them to Agros’ return. They gathered in the forest and shared the plans each group had developed. A combination of distraction, deception, and illusion was the basis for the rescue and each male or group of males split off and took their positions. 

The last of the bucks departed from Agros and the three from Lemuel’s herd. These remaining four crept along the closest edge of the jaguar encampment and waited for the alert whistle from the distraction team. Four very large jaguar suddenly ran past them with shouts of a possible invasion. Agros hurried around the perimeter and pushed the boulder from the opening to the enclosure that held his nephew and family. “Quickly, follow me,” he yelled, “we have a plan in place but we must move quickly.”

Immediately joined by the other three, they followed the same path back toward the forest, joined by the others as they covered open ground. Doing a quick head count, Agros realized that one of the furthest lookouts had not returned. “We need to go right now,” he said. “We can only pray that the gods will protect Mangore and bring him back to us. The longer we hesitate, the less chance we have of escape.”

As they reached the northern edge of Lemuel’s land, he and his herd began to move toward the watering hole. “No, wait, Lemuel,” Agros said. “You should remain with us. When the jaguars find that you are gone, they will certainly come back here to seize you once again. Their inability to find you here will confuse them. It is the safest plan.”

A series of whistles were heard as they all reached Agros’ land. The females wept with joy and the cubs ran in circles around those returning. Everyone ate and swam and Agros kept one eye on the setting sun and the other on the path back north, hoping for Mangore’s return. Dusk had nearly turned to night when a young buck began whistling and shouting. “He has returned, Mangore’s back.”

Moving slowly and walking only on three legs, he struggled to reach the water hole. “Thank the gods, you have returned, Mangore,” Agros said. “You need to get into the water and clean that wound. After you rest and have something to eat, you must tell me what happened.”

The entire herd gathered together to sleep for the night as Agros and Mangore sat together under a full moon discussing the events of the day. “I was running point as the main distraction and thankfully the others timed the avalanche perfectly. They injured all but one of the jaguars that were pursuing me and that one made contact with my rear leg. I don’t know what stopped him from chasing me but somehow I managed to escape. I would guess that the others managed to distract him with another well placed boulder. I went into hiding after that and tried to collect myself. I knew the long journey that lay ahead of me.”

“Everyone was sick with fear that you had been lost,” Agros said. “I am so glad that you made it back. Lemuel’s herd will never forget the great risk you took. You can be sure they will sing songs in your name. But let’s get to bed. It’s late.”

On the evening of the fourth day, Agros could feel the tensions returning among the two herds. “This is exactly why we split up,” he thought. Checking the position of the sun, he knew that the scouts would be returning soon from Lemuel’s land. The watering hole, of course, was fuller than normal but the young cubs were having fun playing with the other young. Doing his best to intervene and distract heated interactions as he saw them, he saw as well the females of Lemuel’s herd isolating themselves and speaking in hushed tones.

“Agros,” Sysoev called out. “We’ve returned.

“Ah, very good,” Agros answered. “What have you found?”

This is the third day in a row now that no jaguars have been in their land,” he said. “I would like to think that they have given up on trying to recapture them.”

“Very good,” he said. “Please gather the rest of the elders and have them meet me at the edge of the forest. We will discuss how to proceed.” Sysoev and the other mature bucks stood guard, keeping all others from disturbing the elders meeting. The discussion ended much quicker than Sysoev thought it would and Agros called everyone together. “We believe that it is now safe for Lemuel and his herd to return to their home. There has been no sign of jaguars for three days now. Spend the night and you can leave in the morning. It is better to travel when you are well rested.”

Agros, Sysoev, and three other mature bucks saw Lemuel and his herd off the following morning with a few very excited cubs running about. The rest of them, still bitter over the too long of a stay, remained in groups past the far end of the watering hole.

“I suggest that we check up on them after a few days,” Sysoev said. “It would be unfortunate to need to rescue them all again.”

“Agreed,” Agros said. “You and another of your choice can make that journey in a week or so. But I’m sure they’ll be fine.” As they disappeared, Agros led the other bucks back to their herd and could immediately feel the natural calm state that felt like home. He and Sanara floated in the watering hole later that evening and even though the herd had returned to its normal peaceful state, he could feel the energy of distress coming from his wife.

“Something is bothering you, my dear,” he said. “What is it?”

“Are you sure that we’re safe here from the jaguars?” she asked. 

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “We are much too far away to be concerned about seeing them. Actually, I am somewhat surprised that they traveled as far as they did to capture Lemuel’s herd. I suppose the war that is going on may be prompting them to reach outside of their normal ground.”

“Okay, if you say so,” she said. “Let’s sleep in the water tonight. All of this stress from Lemuel’s herd’s visit is too much. The water is helping me relax.”

Agros could feel the tension and stress throughout the herd and eventually felt it slowly drift away as the days passed. When the week had reached an end, he sent Sysoev and another buck to visit Lemuel. “Just make it a quick visit,” he said. “I just want to know that everyone is safe.”

“Yes, we’ll make it quick,” he said. “We’ll be back before dark. I’m sure everything is fine.”

Later that day, Agros was playing a game of tag with a group of cubs when he heard his name being called. Following the sound, he met Sysoev as he hurried into the camp. “Sysoev, you are back so soon. What happened?”

“It’s very strange, Agros,” he said. “When we arrived at Lemuel's watering hole, we were told that Lemuel and his family had left. He took his family and went into the city in the far north. They said that he refused to explain why and that they would not be back. Someone named Larry is now leading the herd. Everything seemed fine and peaceful, but something just seems very wrong about Lemuel’s departure.”

“Thanks for making the trip, Sysoev,” he said. “Visit the watering hole and get some rest. I’m sure you’re tired. There is really nothing for us to do at this point. I agree with you about Lemuel. I warned him about the city, but he has made his decision.”

To the far, far north, Lemuel, Irti, and their two daughters reached the edge of the town of Pedicant. “Daddy, where is the watering hole?” his daughter Jinneth asked. 

“I don’t know, dear,” he said. “Living in the city is very different from what we had before. We’ll need to watch and learn and figure it out as we go. But before anything else, I need to find the man who has a house for us.”

“A house?” Japella, the younger of the two daughters asked. “What is a house?”

“It is an enclosed place, kind of like a cave,” he said. “It is where one lives when one lives in a city. We have much to learn. We need to stay close together as we walk.”

“You need to hurry up, Lemuel,” Irti said. “The girls are getting tired and we are very dry. You need to find this contact about our house. This is taking far too long.”

Lemuel walked with the three females in front of him and eventually led them to their new house with the hope that their contact would be there. Waiting in the direct sunshine for nearly an hour, a puma finally approached them and said Lemuel’s name. 

“Oh, thank the gods you’re here,” Lemuel said. “We’ve been waiting for a long time and are very dry. This is our house, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right,” he said. “Just like we agreed. I will be back on the next full moon to collect payment.”

“Very well,” he said. “Can you tell us where the nearest watering hole is? This is all so different for us.”

“If you want a watering hole, you’ll have to leave the city,” he said. “You better figure things out if you’re going to live here. The door isn’t locked. Take a quick look around. I’ll only wait around a few minutes if you have any questions.”

By the time that Lemuel and his wife walked through the house and came back out, the puma had already gone. “Well, so much for answering questions,” he said. 

“Daddy, there are so many creatures here,” Japella said. “How do we know who to talk to?”

“You let Mom and I figure that out,” he said. “We’ll make some friends and maybe they’ll have children that you can be friends with. But let’s get out of the city for now and find some water. Then we can sleep for the night, and I’ll find work tomorrow.”

As dusk crept up on them, they all climbed out of the water and hurried back to the city. The volume of creatures had greatly increased as the little family huddled together and hurried along, trying to stay in the shadows and not attract attention. Locking themselves into their new house, they gathered together in one room to try to stay warm. 

“Momma, momma,” Japella whispered. “It’s starting to get light out. But Daddy is gone. Where is he? What are we going to do?”

“Daddy has gone to look for work,” she said. “I guess we’ll spend the day getting to know people. You girls just pay attention to what everyone else is doing and copy them, try to talk like them, we want to fit in the best we can. Let’s walk back to the watering hole we found yesterday and swim a bit. Then we can find some food in the shallows. After that we can try to visit with others in the city.”

In what became a regular routine, Irti and the girls spent more and more time in the markets and with the other females. Each evening, just around dusk, Lemuel would return home, and they would buy food in the market for their dinner. As they finished their dinner after several months of being in Pedicant, someone knocked on their door. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” Lemuel asked.

“I am not but it’s probably one of the girls’ friends,” she said. “I’ll answer it.” As she opened the door, the whiskered faces of two of the largest capybaras she had ever seen greeted her. “Oh, you are... I didn’t know any of our kind lived here.”

“We do not live here, Irti,” one of them said. “We have come to deliver you a message. Can we come in, please? Your husband needs to hear this as well.” As Lemuel joined Irti, the visitor continued. “There is a terrible war coming. You need to flee before sunrise tomorrow, if you are to survive. Do you have any other family?”

“Yes, our two grown daughters are here with us,” Lemuel answered. “Who are you and how do you know about a war? What is this all about?”

“It’s not complicated,” he said. “The three clans of jaguars have joined forces, and they are planning on destroying this city and killing everyone here. It will happen tomorrow at sunrise. You have to believe us.”

“This is ridiculous,” Irti said. “We don’t know who you are, and we have no reason to believe you. How could you possibly know about an attack from the jaguars? You need to leave.” Irti then turned to open the door but was interrupted by the sound of shouting. 

“Lemuel,” someone yelled, “we know you have visitors. Send them out and you and your family won’t be harmed. Send them out and we will be on our way.” Janneth peeked out the front window upon a crowd of creatures completely surrounding the house. 

“Father, there must be over a hundred creatures out there,” she said. “Send these two out to them. You need to protect us.”

Lemuel stepped out of the front door and tried to speak to the crowd, but his words were drowned out by their shouting. Some of the creatures started to grab at him, trying to pull him away from the door. In a panic, Lemuel tried to fight back and felt a strong set of paws grab him and pull him back into the house. As the door slammed after him, a whistle, unlike anything he had ever heard before erupted from somewhere and he felt as if all life had ceased.

Shaking his head as he sat up from the floor, he thought he had gone deaf as everything seemed to be covered in a blanket of silence. Carefully pulling back the window curtain, he realized that the entire crowd had dispersed.

“Men, you must stay here tonight,” he said. “If you try to leave the city now, that crowd will tear you apart. I will talk to my wife about your warning. We will talk again in the morning.”

Lemuel lay awake most of that evening. Irti had absolutely refused to believe that these strange visitors were trustworthy. “We don’t know anything about them,” she said. “Everything has been going just fine in this city. I do not want to leave. This is just silly.” He didn’t have the strength to argue with her and he knew that she wouldn’t listen to his guidance, regardless.

He lay awake all night and as the sky turned from black to dark blue, he knew that sunrise was close behind. He slipped out of bed and into the living room to find that his visitors had departed at some point during the night. The sky continued to lighten, and he knew that he needed to make a decision. “If we leave and then nothing happens, we can always come back,” he thought. “But if we stay and are attacked, we have no chance of survival.”

Pacing the small living room, he tried to make sense of it all and began to wonder how everything had seemed to go so wrong. “I haven’t been swimming in months. This is ridiculous.” Padding into his daughters’ room, he woke them and urged them to follow him. “Girls, quickly get up,” he said. “We have no time to waste. We have to go right now.”

They slipped out the back door and began heading for the forest to the east of the city. They paused at the tree line, and he looked back to see Irti standing on the back steps. “Come on, Irti, come on,” he thought. He watched her start down the steps but then run back inside. He waited a moment, hoping for her to come back out. The first rays of sunshine broke over the distant hills and he knew that time had run out.

“We need to go girls,” he said. “There is a watering hole just past the far edge of the wood. We can hide there.”

Running as fast as they could, they found the watering hole and submerged themselves with only their eyes and snouts exposed. He watched the sky in the direction of the city and waited for any kind of sign. It was then that the screaming and chaos started. 

“What are we going to do, Father,” Janneth pleaded. “If the jaguars are so bold to take an entire city, there is probably no one left back with the herd. We are the only ones left. We have no choice but to start a new herd ourselves.”