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Chapter XXIV - Fire Dance

It was the deathly silence she gave him that worried Tristan the most. They had quietly listened to the doctor's lecture about Argentina being a Catholic country, gotten their skis back on, and gone back to their little three-room cabin without speaking a word.

When they'd arrived on the raised porch and taken their skis off, he'd tried to break the ice again by asking her how she was feeling. She hadn't seemed to hear him, and had just walked inside, the wolf trailing along behind her fidgeting his paws in worry that she was building up steam to blow up at him.

She had calmly put on a pot of coffee, then gone into the bathroom, and was there an hour later, still silent, with Tristan sitting against the other side of the door with a cup of slightly burnt coffee, trying not to go mad with worry.

Finally, she spoke, in a hoarse voice.

"I can't do this..."

Tristan straightened up, thought through a few responses, then talked in the gentlest voice he could muster. He tapped the door lightly with his paw, just to let her know he was there.

"Tell me how to help."

The silence drew out for another few seconds, and when she spoke, her voice sounded choked and on the verge of tears.

"I w-won't let a child be r-raised on the run..."

Tristan nodded, and put his paw flat against the door. He could hear and feel her pain, and he wanted to hold her, tell her things would be all right.

"We've done great so far. What's the alternative?"

She sucked in a breath and started to sob, softly, whispering something in Russian he couldn't understand.

Finally, Tristan got up, turning the door knob into the bathroom and hearing it click ajar. He stepped inside to find Tasha sitting naked against the wall next to the door, curled up with her arms wrapped around her legs and shaking. When she looked up at him, he saw the conflict and agony in her face, and it surprised him. She was a strong woman, dangerous, deadly, graceful, but also vulnerable when something got past her shields.

He sat down next to her, folding carefully to avoid jarring her with his movements, and managed to wriggle an arm behind her back where it had been pressed against the wall, maneuvering her to lay back against him. Tristan kissed her temple and gave her a gentle squeeze as she shook and he barely concealed his own shakes.

Tasha sniffed and spoke again, strained and quiet.

"Can't go to hospitals...Your uncle has who knows what influence...Can't go to a clinic to get this...T-taken care of..."

Tris could tell by her voice that she didn't like that idea anyway. Which was a good thing, he figured, as he didn't either and now wasn't the time for an argument.

"Then we just have to...Um..." He swallowed down his own conflicted clash of emotions, managing to keep his cool mostly because she hadn't. "We just have to have the baby and deal with things as they come. The local doctor here can do the delivery, and she doesn't even report things unless its bullet wounds or something, right?"

Tasha managed a weak smile and looked up at him with a shake of her head.

"I don't think the doctor would report that, unless she needed help or had to get the coroner. Too many foreign tourists, no point to report it..."

Tris managed a smile back, and leaned in to kiss her lightly on the tip of the snout.

"See? We're safe here, as long as we stay put right? You told me that a year ago, and its still true now. We just have to um...Plan for a third person."

Tasha nodded slowly, then looked down her bare chest, blushing despite their year of being together. Not because he was seeing her naked, but because it was embarrassing to have freaked out so badly that she'd torn her clothes off like some kind of wild person. She covered herself with her arms over her breasts and leaned back into Tristan's chest, letting out a low chuff of a laugh.

"I must look like such a girl, crying and carrying on..."

Tristan looked down her front too, and nudged her with his off paw.

"Don't complain, I like the fact you look like a girl. Naked is good too."

He licked her cheek and grinned, playfulness back to hopefully break the gloom. Despite herself Tasha laughed and let her arms down, looking up at him as her smile faded and she got a more serious expression again.

"Tristan, I..."

He looked into her eyes, feeling like he was lost in them as his lips came down to hers, despite the awkward angle. A few seconds later when they parted again, he raised a brow.

"Yeah?"

"N...Nothing, you made me forget."

Tristan grinned and kissed her again, there on the bathroom floor, his arm around her moving to caress her flat, muscled belly.

Buck woke to the sound of commotion outside his little office bedroom, and sat upright, instantly awake. The girl on the cot slid into the space he'd been occupying and blinked up at him blearily, still half-asleep.

As footsteps approached his office, he threw the blanket over her, stuffed himself back into his pants, and buttoned them up. He was re-tying his belt, ignoring the shooting pain from his splinted leg when a sturdy knock sounded from the door.

"Yeah?"

He was relieved when it was Arlen's voice that came through. Though only in part because of what he said. More so because he knew the tiger wouldn't freak out if he walked in and saw the mouse girl struggling with the blanket over her.

"Zebra just walked into our camp! Says he might have a way back out for us!"

The mouse girl, Lamia, managed to find an edge to the blanket and poke her head out, nose twitching at Buck in admonishment as she glowered at him. He ignored it for the moment, and laughed.

"What'd I tell you about that crazy ass?"

Arlen laughed in relief, and spoke again in a rumble, as chatter from the children was starting to create background noise. Somewhere else in the cavern-like subway station, he could hear the loud Mexican talking...In Bosnian!

The girl was giving him a curious expression now, more than angry, and she sat up enough to whisper in his ear while keeping the blanket clutched to her chest.

"You...You American friends here?"

Despite himself and the discomfort of thinking about what happened before they'd fallen asleep, Buck put his arm around her, squeezed, and nodded.

"Yeah, kid. He's going to find us a way out of here."

She blinked, puzzling through his words, then nodded firmly.

"I...Um. Need shirts."

"Clothes."

"Need clothes."

Buck nodded and let her go, so he could get to work on the tough job of getting upright.

Arlen's voice came through one more time, sounding amused and curious.

"Who's in there with you, boss?"

"Mind your own business, tigger."

Buck couldn't help watching the athletic tomboy mouse as she got up and had to drop the blanket to pull on her camo pants and rumpled-up camouflaged shirt.

"So no shit, you fell through the floor of a building into the subway?"

The burro grinned and shrugged, ruffling the hair of one of the scruffy orphans in their train of refugees. Arlen had counted 48 kids, most of them less than fifteen years old, not including Lamia and two black wolves that looked to be around fourteen. He didn't include them in his count, because they weren't non-combatants. Lamia had an old but well-loved bolt-action rifle, and the wolf twins were carrying a fire axe and an old German Luger between them.

"Guess I jus' got lucky you know? Fell into th' subway an' found you because kids are noisy little bastards."

The tiger laughed back, and patted his burro friend on the shoulder, before moving up to check another cross-tunnel, sweeping his rifle downrange with the infra-red turned on. He didn't bother calling out 'clear', since there were dozens of these side passages. He just kept moving.

Back a ways, Buck was stumping along with help from some of the older children, who were acting as crutches while he kept watch and made sure nobody snuck up on them and no children wandered off.

Pretty damn quiet and organized for a bunch of starving kids.

Being the front guard for the group was an odd feeling. Even back during his stint with the US Army, Arlen had never felt like he was directly protecting helpless people. It was both a good feeling to him, a feeling of purpose, and a sense of stress and pressure like he hadn't had in a long time.

Like usual, Zebra seemed to take the situation entirely in stride.

"About another mile up or so, and we're past the artillery line. We'll haf' to wait t'ere an' go find a bus to steal or sometheen."

Arl blew out a breath of relief that at least someone here had any faith whatsoever that they could actually rescue all of these poor kids.

"What are the chances we'll make it out of here with all of them?"

Neither looked back at the kids, not wanting to make it obvious they were being talked about.

"All? Not much chance, mang. Even if we get em all tat far, weel be hard getting across border. Lots will get turned back."

"What the fuck kind of border guard turns away starving fucking kids into this goddamn slaughter?"

Zebra just shrugged at him, and grinned.

"Choo ever met th' border guards at Tijuana?"

Arlen shook his head, and they walked along in silence for a while longer, the only sounds those of distant shelling, softly padding footsteps, and the drip of broken water mains that were slowly filling the lower tunnels beneath them.

Meanwhile, Buck was trying to make conversation with Lamia, who had apparently decided to stick close to him, with mixed success.

"Where did you learn your English?" He looked down at her, as she was at that moment helping him along over some fallen rubble as other kids tried to clear the loose bits out of the way.

She didn't meet his eyes, and hadn't since earlier in the office. Her voice sounded gruff, uncertain, but like she was showing a veneer of strength.

"College."

He blinked, looking her over again, still pretty sure she was underage just by the youthfulness of her face and figure.

"You're a college student? I thought you were sixteen or so."

The mouse turned her eyes back up to him, and he couldn't help but notice they were a pretty greenish color in the dim lighting they'd brought along.

"Uh...S-secondary? I not know word."

He nodded, getting her point, and gave an awkward pat with the paw of the arm she was under.

"I want to apologize for before. I...shouldn't have let that happen."

She turned her head again, and her delicate brows furrowed together in confusion. Her command of English just wasn't good enough, and she had misinterpreted the situation already.

"What?"

Buck sighed, partly because he thought it was cute that her "w" sounds were more or less a "v' sound, and partly because he wasn't sure how to explain himself.

"How old are you?"

That one she knew how to answer, since it was pretty much a basic introductory phrase in most language classes anywhere in the world, and she did so with another of her firm knowing nods.

"I am Lamia Kojic. I am seventeen years old. It is a pleasure to meet you."

She held her paw out to shake, sideways and awkward, and he took it with his left, shaking firmly with a laugh at how stilted yet endearing her speech was. Lamia had, in using something she had rehearsed so often in her old life, suddenly seemed much less hardened and desperate. It was a good look for her.

When he released her paw, she pulled it away quickly, though she hadn't tried to while he was gripping. Under her soft but dirt-dusted fur, he could see what he suspected was a blush in her cheeks.

"When we get to the end of the tunnels, we're going to try to get a bus. Its very important you keep everyone together, understand?"

Lamia grimaced, working through the words again.

"Tunnel is...?"

He pointed all around them, at the walls. She nodded in response, re-thought the statement, then gave her firm nod of understanding.

"I understand. Keep boys and girls together. Get on bus. Fast."

Buck gave his Captain nod, curt and acknowledging, and patted her shoulder with his free paw.

"You'll be fine, Lamia Kojic."

He hoped he was right. That walking through this fiery war zone would be just that simple.

Finally, after at least an hour or two of walking, the rumbling of artillery had quieted, and they had come to another station, this one appearing half-finished with its un-painted walls and incomplete rail system.

Zebra made hand signals to Arlen, who relayed them to Buck, then watched as hushed voices told the children to stop and stay as quiet as possible. Most sat down, exhausted after the long walk on empty stomachs. Others stumbled and had to be helped down by healthier compatriots.

Arlen grimaced...Tired kids weren't going to be able to run, if things got hairy. At least not run very far.

Zebra tapped his throat mic, and whispered into it.

"Going to go up topside an' see what is to see."

"Roger that, be careful."

The burro just grinned at him instead of responding, leading Arl to roll his eyes and start looking for a good spot to settle down and maintain watch.

Buck moved up, with Lamia helping him, leaving the two wolves to ride herd over the younger kids.

"Its about an hour till the sun goes down again if my clock's right. Being underground fucks up my sense of time something royal."

Arlen nodded and checked his own watch and, noticing Lamia was staring at it, dug his spare out from his belt pouch, tossing it over. The mouse deftly caught it, and furrowed her eyebrows at him, then looked up at Buck.

The big stag shrugged and half-smiled at her.

"Keep it. You might need it."

With that, she shrugged again, nodded once, and slid it onto her wrist, upside-down, and made sure its light was turned off by fiddling with it.

"So what's the plan, Captain?"

Buck gestured to a concrete bench as Lamia looked up at him again, and limped that way with her help, sitting on the hard surface with a grimace as he responded.

"Load civilians onto acquired transport, rendezvous with wings, evac sentient assets as opportunity allows."

He was using as many big words and military words as possible...If Lamia were able to understand what he'd just said, she might refuse to help them, and that could be serious trouble.

Arlen frowned at him, but nodded, not letting himself look back at the kids they were talking about as "sentient assets." When the stag seemed to not have anything more to say on the matter, Arl sighed and went to work on checking his rifle for any sign of malfunction. Getting out of the tunnels, he knew, would be the easy part. The hard part would be getting down the miles of open road it would take to reach safer zones...And even those contained dangers, as the Serbian Army wasn't known for being nice to Bosnians, and could be anywhere.

When the time came, Arlen knew because Zebra got close enough to signal them despite the subterranean interference, and scratched at his mic. The black tiger had already camouflaged himself up with wet black mud on his BDU's, and moved like the ghost of thin air to the burro's position.

The tunnel was a steep climb, without a working escalator, and then there were more stairs that led him to a doorway out onto an unfinished parking lot filled with weeds that had grown right through the pavement.

There, idling in front of the place, was the rustiest piece of crap bus he'd ever seen. However, it was big enough to carry all the kids, if they packed in like sardines, and the black smoke it was belching was mostly coming from the tail pipe.

Arlen doubled back and waved Buck up, then moved to a covering position atop a ticket kiosk as the stream of exhausted children flowed past, eddying around the pylons and broken areas of cement like molasses in winter. The older furs guided them, loading them into the bus as Buck moved up last, having made sure nobody was being left behind asleep in the station.

"Rene, do you read?"

The few seconds' silence was damn worrying, but it turned out to be for nothing when he got a response loud and clear.

"Shit, are you guys okay? Where the fuck are you?"

"We got into the underground and found some local guides. Arlen and I are fine, and Zebra's a fucking lifesaver. Found us a bus to get these kids outta here."

"Kids? Uh...Boss, we don't have papers or bribe money to cover plural kid. Anyway, that doesn't matter, I've got bad news."

Buck frowned. "Continue."

"Milosevic failed to blitz the city, but withdrew back to the siege line with most of his forces still intact. As of two hours ago, they were spreading out to forage. You guys are going to have a motherfucker of a time getting out of there intact and undetected...And I'm pretty much fucking grounded. You'll need to swing by the fallback and pick me up, then we have to book it to the UN safe zone at the border into Croatia."

Buck nodded and checked his watch.

"Expect us in two hours, barring trouble."

"Fuck. Okay. I'll be ready. Performing the fire dance right now."

"Fire dance? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I'm preparing to get killed. Also, I'm going to set some buildings on fire to draw Milosevic's men's attention off of you. See you in two hours."